A Maze of Trials
by Andi Mason
Summary: The Mighty Ducks have been captured by a mysterious enemy again, and Mira has a chance to help them. But only if you help her make the right choices. This is a sequel to my story, Danger Comes at Twilight. Now complete! The newest chapter is Chapter 49.
1. Chapter 1

Note from the author:

This is a type of interactive story, and there are choices to made if you want to find a happy ending. I paid attention to the feedback some of you gave me on my previous interactive story, so I hope this one is easier to navigate for those of you reading on mobile devices! Thanks again for the reviews!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Mighty Ducks!

Chapter 1

"Not again," Mira groaned as she looked around at the oddly-colored sky with its purple and light blue hues. Instead of clouds, she saw cracks that ran like veins in the atmosphere, and once and awhile, she could see glowing balls of light like a violet moon or a blue sun shining through the cracks.

 _How many other people stumble into such weird places?_ She wondered. _And where are the ducks? I was with them just a few seconds ago._

"Borg, did you do this?" she called out, wondering if the little elf-prince was dragging her into another quest.

Her voice fell flat in the air as if walls were preventing her from projecting her words any farther. Mira turned around again and searched for any sign of the ducks.

"Wildwing? Nosedive? Where are you?"

Silence answered her in what seemed like an empty landscape, but then, very close to her, a voice said,

"Lost, are you?"

Mira spun around, but she didn't see anyone.

"Who's there? I'm not in the mood for games."

A shadow materialized to her left, and Mira backed away as a tall figure became clearer. Dark eyes with a gleam of silvery blue were the first feature she noticed. Then a pale face with proud and noble features appeared as long black hair swept down around it and came to rest over the stranger's shoulders. He wore a deep purple cloak over black and silver clothes. And in the light of the pallid sun, his skin almost seemed to have a tinge of blue coloring.

"But I love games," he said with a smile, and then he bowed briefly. "I am Malberic."

She glanced at the points of his ears.

"I'm Mira. Are you Vulcan… like from Star Trek?"

"I am a Dark Elf. And this is my realm, Volundr."

"You don't happen to know Borg, do you? I think he's an elf too."

"That princeling holds no power here," Malberic said as he raised one hand and projected the image of the little elf. "But I suppose you would not have heard of me. It has been many ages since a human last set foot in my realm."

"I'm looking for my friends… they're ducks."

Malberic smiled again.

"They're mine. I bought them from the Saurian lord living on your planet. But he never mentioned you."

"What do you mean you bought them? Is this like a hockey franchise thing?"

"The ducks are my prisoners for now…and the rest of their lives. Is that clear enough?"

Mira was about to protest, but he interrupted her as he began to walk around her.

"I'm certain they will serve as amusements, but now that you're here, I wish I had a human to play with. The last one made for such entertainment. Still, I always keep to the arrangements of the bargains I make, and you were not part of the deal."

He waved his hand and opened a gateway in the air. Mira thought she could see a city that looked like Anaheim in the portal.

"You are free to return to your world."

"I can't leave without the ducks," Mira insisted.

"You can't leave _with_ them. They belong to me, or have you already forgotten?"

"You _cannot_ own the ducks, and that Saurian monster had no right to claim he could sell them."

"All deals made are binding," Malberic said as his right hand closed into a tight fist and the portal vanished. "But if you wanted to strike a new deal, you have my attention."

Mira glanced around at the strange land around her. Perhaps this was the only way to find the ducks.

"How much did you pay Dragaunus for the ducks?" she asked hesitantly.

Malberic laughed.

"I'd forgotten humans only think in terms of currency. No amount of gold or silver could purchase your friends from my dominion."

He waved his left hand and coins began to pour out over the ground.

"Fine by me," Mira said, refusing to be daunted by his reply. "My bank account is stretched a little thin at present any way. So what is it that you want?"

"In exchange for the ducks, I granted Dragaunus a powerful item to assist him with his endeavors. If I am to risk losing the creatures he sent to me, then I seek something valuable to make all of this worth my time."

Mira hesitated as her mind considered the few things she owned in her small apartment in Anaheim.

"I don't think I have any mystical items that you would want, but I would give up everything I have if it meant freeing the ducks."

Malberic smiled.

"Rarely have I been offered _everything_."

He considered her in silence as he walked around her again.

"Here is the bargain I will offer you. If you can find your friends in my realm before the end of six days and pull them from my power, I will let you take them back to your world. And you can all enjoy your precious freedom again."

"What do you get out of that?" Mira asked cautiously.

"If you fail, … if even one of your friends remains in my grip at the end of six days, then I shall reclaim all of the ducks… and you."

Mira's eyes widened, but she couldn't find the words to protest. She had said _everything_. She just hadn't thought about that including her freedom.

"What do you say, little mortal?" he asked as he drew closer and put his hand on her shoulder.

Mira quickly pulled away and shot a glare at him.

"I'm not yours yet. And I defeated a sorceress once to save the ducks, so don't think I can't handle you."

"Ah, but you don't know my power. And you will have no Borg to help you this time. No, I will tell you honestly that if you take my bargain, you should expect to lose. But I shall enjoy watching you try to win, knowing that you will only succeed in surrendering yourself to me in the end."

"We'll see about that," Mira answered. "But how do I know you'll keep your word about letting me and the ducks go if I win?"

Malberic frowned.

"My word is not given lightly. Bargains are not broken here. But if you require some sign of proof, then look here."

He stretched out his hands and a small, round stone floated above each. They began to glow with a blue light. In one stone, Mira saw she and the ducks passing through a portal that opened to Anaheim. And in the other, she saw an image of Malberic standing over her and the ducks, and they were forced to kneel before him.

"We shall each take one as a reminder of what we agreed to … should we lose."

The stones dropped into his hands, and suddenly they appeared fastened to light chains like pendants to be worn around the neck.

"But before we accept them, you must agree to the bargain. What do you say to my proposition?"

 **Time for your first choice.**

 **If you want Mira to refuse the bargain, click on Chapter 2.**

 **If you want her to accept the bargain, click on Chapter 3.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Mira glanced around at the strange sky and the dark landscape. She looked in the eyes of the dark elf, and Mira felt fear settle upon her. She felt so alone in all of this, and it was terrifying to think what Malberic would do if she failed. _I don't think I could bear to be his prisoner_. _The way he looks at me like I'm something to play with…_

He held out the stones to her, but Mira drew back.

"No."

"No?" Malberic asked, lifting one eyebrow.

"I'm not going to sell myself to you. And I demand that you release the ducks and let us return to our world."

Malberic's smug expression faded as his tone grew colder.

"You're in no position to make demands."

Suddenly the portal reopened, and Mira felt herself being drawn into it.

"It's a pity," the dark elf said. "I would have enjoyed our game."

Before she could speak again, the light grew brighter and Mira was sucked out of that world. After a rough landing, she found herself lying on the pavement in Anaheim.

Groaning, Mira sat up and looked around. She was alone. The streets were empty and dark except from the street lights.

"Oh, it appears you were not wanted…" a grim voice said from behind.

Mira jumped up as she realized that she wasn't quite alone after all.

"Wraith," she said warily as she drew back from the Saurian conjurer.

He leaned upon his staff as he watched her.

"Shame we could not get rid of you with the ducks."

"You have to bring the ducks back! You can't do this to them."

"We already have," Wraith laughed. "And this is one time they will not escape. Malberic is no fool. Our feathered foes do not stand a chance."

Mira's shoulders sagged.

"What have I done? I didn't mean to leave them." She looked back at Wraith. "Wait, you can send me back! Open the dimensional gateway generator."

"I would be glad to rid us of yet another pest," Wraith said with a cruel smile. "But no one enters or leaves Malberic's realm without his permission. And besides, we don't need to waste our ship's energy on the gateway generator to rid us of your meddling."

He loomed before her as suddenly several hunter drones teleported around her.

"With the ducks gone, did you really think you stood a chance against us?"

 **The End**

 **You've reached one of the many endings in this story. Unfortunately, Mira could not save herself or the ducks in this ending. If you would like to try again, go back to Chapter 1 of the story.**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 – Day One

"Honestly, this sounds like a terrible bargain, but if it's the only way to help the ducks, then yes, I agree," Mira answered.

Malberic smiled and suddenly Mira felt a weight around her neck. She looked down and saw the stone displaying her enslavement hanging over her chest.

"Then you have my word about what will pass if you succeed," Malberic said, and the stone with the images of her freedom with the ducks hung from his neck. "But do not look to it with hope. I have warned you that you will not win this game."

Mira drew herself up and stood her ground.

"In six days, I'll prove you wrong."

Malberic shook his head with a smile.

"You are young and foolish, mortal. But the youth is good. It means your life here as my prisoner will be longer. The last time I kept a mortal in my realm, she was too old. And your lifespans are short enough to an immortal such as myself."

"Enough of your gloating. It's time I found my friends."

"Time here passes differently than in your world. The six days of your task have not yet begun. And I will not prove an ungracious host."

Malberic waved his hand and a hill appeared as if a mist around it had dissipated. A small cottage was settled upon the top of the hill.

"Take some rest here, and upon what you would call 'the morning' you will see my labyrinth appear below the hill. Then the six days will have begun, and you can begin searching for your missing ducks. They are lost inside a maze of my enchantments. Find them and make it out of my labyrinth with all of them in six days… and you will win our bargain."

Mira turned back to ask him a question, but he was gone. Walking to the hill, she found that except for the cottage, all of the land appeared cursed with a thick mist. If she tried to go down into it, she felt that she would never find her way out.

Turning to the cottage, Mira pushed open the door cautiously and stepped inside. The furnishings were humble, but it appeared clean. One bed and a table were mostly all that was provided. But on the table, she saw some food left out. Yet, it was black and blue in coloring like so much from this world, and Mira drew back from it.

"I won't eat anything from your land," she said aloud. "I'd rather starve than eat something so toxic."

For a moment all was still and silent, and Mira wondered if she had been wrong to suppose he was watching her. Then a light glowed upon the table and as if a portal had been opened, Mira saw familiar items like bread, peanut butter, cheese, fruit, and even granola bars roll out onto the table. There was also a canteen of water.

Grabbing a leather pouch from the bed, Mira began to pack all of it into the bag for her journey tomorrow. She felt certain the ducks would be hungry as well. Then a sudden weariness came over Mira, and she laid down upon the bed, giving herself over to sleep.

But in her sleep, Mira was haunted by dreams of the ducks being lost in the mist and separated from each other. She wanted to call out to them, but she couldn't touch them or speak to them.

Yet, one part of her dream seemed different. As she wandered deeper into the dreams, she caught glimpses of Wildwing. He was holding something tightly in one fist, but it was too small to make out. And he kept slipping in and out of the mist as if he not lost… but searching. Mira wanted to reach out to him, but he kept slipping away. Yet, one time, she almost thought that he saw her and started to reach back and speak to her, but then he appeared to sense danger, and he slipped away again.

Hours later Mira awoke and she saw that more light was beginning to seep through the cracks in the sky. She felt groggy and confused as she rubbed her eyes and yawned. But after a few seconds, she realized that this was the morning of the first day that Malberic had spoken of. Pushing herself up, she grabbed the leather pouch of food and walked to the door. When she opened it, instead of a mist-covered landscape, she found herself faced with a series of walls that formed multiple passageways, stretching for miles in the valley below her.

Mira slumped against the door frame with wide eyes.

"Impressive, isn't it?" a familiar voice said.

She stepped out of the cottage and saw Malberic standing on the hill surveying the maze below.

"Labyrinths are my specialty. You want the ducks back? They're down there… amidst my enchantments and a few of my other creatures."

Mira straightened the strap of the pouch over her shoulder and started walked down towards the maze. There was no reason to waste any more time.

"There's one more thing you should know," Malberic said from behind her.

Mira stopped, but she didn't feel like turning around.

"You will have to find one duck each day to defeat the labyrinth and help that duck reach safety. If you fail to rescue one of your friends on any of the days, you won't be able to help any of the others."

"You said I had six days," Mira protested.

"The magic of the labyrinth is such that it changes each day. If a day ends and you did not find the duck you were meant to, then you will lose your chance to help that duck forever. You can still waste the other days trying to find them, but it will not be possible. Remember you must save all six ducks to win your freedom and theirs. So failure on one day, means complete failure."

"You want all the odds stacked against me, don't you?" Mira said angrily.

"I warned you that this was a challenge you would not win."

Mira straightened and held her pouch with a determined gaze as she said, "Day one." She turned and strode off towards the labyrinth in spite of Malberic's smug expression.

As Mira drew closer to the labyrinth, she soon saw that her first major obstacle was finding a way inside. There wasn't exactly a huge opening with a flashing sign pointing to an entrance.

"Great, now I'm wasting time just trying to get started," she sighed as she hurried along the outside.

Mira tried pounding on some of the walls, which were thick and smooth as if cut from black marble. They looked to be about fifteen feet high, so there was no climbing over them.

Time passed as she wandered and ran around the outside walls, searching for any kind of opening. Eventually, she stopped and just stood in front of the wall. Putting her hand to her head, Mira felt frustration building inside of her.

"I have to get in. I can't fail out here on the first day."

She closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath _. If Grin were here, he'd tell you to stop and meditate instead of just relying on sight._ So Mira kept her eyes closed as she focused on breathing and slowing her heart rate. She needed to think.

While pausing, she felt a breeze gently sweep past her, and Mira opened her eyes. _I felt that come out of the maze._ She raised her hands in front of her and moved closer to the wall. The air seemed to be coming from in front of her but also slightly to the right. She edged that direction, and the air flow became more noticeable.

"It still looks like there's a wall in front of me," Mira said softly. "But there must be an opening here."

She closed her eyes again and started moving into the breeze. Mira just kept following it until she felt herself pass through a strange ephemeral barrier. It was like passing through a cloud. And when Mira opened her eyes, she saw that she was inside the maze.

"All right, stage one complete!" she said with a smile, and then that smile faded as she walked around a corner.

Mira found herself confronted by a division in the walls. She could either go to the right or to the left. Each passageway looked exactly the same.

"This is why I hate mazes."

 **If you think Mira should go to the right, choose Chapter 4.**

 **If you think Mira should go to the left, choose Chapter 5.**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Right sounds good," Mira decided. "It worked for me with the entrance, so I'm gonna do it again."

She turned and began to follow the right passageway. It wound and turned several times until Mira grew tired of looking at the same black walls around her.

But as she followed the path, she began to notice traces of blue images that seemed almost carved into the walls.

"Some of these almost look like Malberic," she said as she paused to look at them. "But they're so hard to make out. And I don't have time if I want to find the ducks."

As Mira turned another corner, she was faced with another choice in direction. One passageway in front of her seemed to go downhill, and another one appeared to go uphill.

 **If Mira should take the downhill passage, select Chapter 8.**

 **If Mira should take the uphill passage, select Chapter 9.**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Left, it is," Mira said. "It's not like I really know what I'm doing here, but I've gotta keep going."

She followed the passage for several minutes, and it seemed to lead her deeper and deeper into the maze. There were times when she had to make a few other choices about which turn to take, but maybe an hour or more passed without her seeing anything other than black walls and violet-colored grass beneath her feet.

Discouragement was starting to set in again when suddenly Mira heard bits of a familiar voice in the distance.

"Nosedive!"

Mira rushed forward, halting only when she faced a choice of passages, but now she could hear Nosedive in the distance.

"Dive! Can you hear me?!" Mira called out. "Keep talking so I can find you!"

At last a passage opened up into a wider area, and Mira felt a wave of relief as she saw Nosedive sitting at a long table. But in hurrying towards him, she skidded to a stop and stared at him in surprise.

Nosedive was sitting in a fancy chair at a huge table and spread out before him was a feast of black and blue food from Malberic's realm. And Mira could tell he had been eating it, because there were black stains on his beak. He was also slumped in the chair as if he had eaten too much, and yet he was still picking up pieces and stuffing his beak.

"Nosedive?"

The young duck turned his head towards her, and Mira winced as he stared at her with eyes as dark as a black hole. It was like his sight was covered by ebony lenses.

"Dive? Can you see me?"

He stopped chewing for a moment.

"Mira?" he asked with his mouth full, even spitting some black goo as he talked.

"Oh gross, Dive, you gotta stop eating that trash."

"Nah, it tastes awesome! You should have some."

"Nosedive, stop it!" Mira said as she walked closer and pulled some of the food from his hand. "This stuff is making you sick. It's a trap."

"Get your own, girly girl," Nosedive said as he swallowed, but then he hesitated a moment. "But my stomach's not loving me so much right now. I would stop… but it tastes so good, man."

He started to reach for more, but Mira grabbed his left hand. Only then he swiped some with his other hand and stuffed more in his beak before she could stop him. His expression was first one of enjoying a delicious treat and then one of dealing with a sour stomach.

"Dive! Come on, this has to stop!"

"He already knows that."

Mira whirled around and saw Malberic standing near the wall watching them. He moved a little closer with a smile.

"Your friend already knows that food from my table is causing his insides to churn in a way that will torment him for days, but he can't stop. My power is too great, and he will continue to eat until I tell him to stop."

"And I suppose there's nothing I can do to persuade you to release him?"

"Why would I do that? My goal has always been to keep these prisoners trapped in my power. And this one's falling quite fast."

"Not if I can help it," Mira insisted as she turned away from him and returned to Nosedive's side. He constantly switched between sounds of enjoyment and groans as the food affected him.

 **If Mira should try to pull Nosedive away from the table to stop him from eating more, select Chapter 6.**

 **If she should find a way to make him expel the food he's already eaten, select Chapter 7.**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"All right, that's enough Nosedive," Mira said as she seized his arms and began using all her strength to drag him away from the table.

But she instantly began to realize that this was a task for Grin, not for her. Nosedive was about her size, but at least a little bigger and stronger.

And the desire to continue eating the enchanted food had a strong hold upon him. He began to struggle and fight to get back to the table.

"Dive, please! I'm trying to help you!" Mira pleaded.

"I gotta keep eating," Nosedive groaned as he tried to push her away.

His struggling became more forceful, and suddenly Mira was knocked to the ground, but she felt something hard and painful hit her head. Then everything went dark.

When light returned to Mira's vision, she saw that the sky had grown quite dark. Her head ached terribly, and pushing herself up, she saw that she had landed on a rock. _I must have been unconscious for hours_ , she realized.

Rising slowly, she saw Malberic standing beside Nosedive, who was still eating.

"It was a valiant effort, but you failed," he said with a smirk. "The day has ended."

"No," Mira protested. "Please, just give me more time."

"He is under my power, and it is too late to remedy that."

Malberic glanced at Nosedive and told him to stop. The young duck fell back in the chair and sat there staring blankly with black eyes. Mira felt tears come to her eyes.

"I have five more days," she insisted.

"Then wander freely through the mist for five days, but you will not find your friends," Malberic said. "And at the end of five days, I'll return for you."

Mira looked down at the stone in the pendant on her neck, and when she looked up she was surrounded by mist.

 **The End**

 **You've reached one of the many endings in this story. And although you helped Mira find Nosedive, she wasn't able to save him. Mira spent the rest of her five days searching for the other ducks, but the labyrinth did not reappear. When the last day ended, Malberic found her, and the ducks appeared behind him. All of their eyes were black and they acted as ones under a spell. "Time for you to join them," Malberic said as he held out his hand towards her. And Mira felt a darkness sweeping over her and she knew she was losing her freedom to choose.**

 **(You, however, can still make choices. Go back to Chapter 5 and you can choose differently!)**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"Foolish mortal," Malberic chided. "You've already lost. He's consumed too much for you to save him now."

Mira looked around her in search of a solution. The dark elf was right. If she was going to save Nosedive, she had to get that stuff out of him.

Suddenly her eyes locked on his legs and boots under the table. And her eyes lit up with an idea, though at the same time, she was disgusted by what she would have to do. But she couldn't waste any time. Dropping to the ground, she pulled and yanked on one of Dive's boots until it came off.

She jerked her head away from it as the stench from his boot reached her nose. Nosedive's boots always reeked if his feet became sweaty. Coughing and trying not to breathe it in, she used all of her strength to swerve Nosedive's chair to one side while he was sitting in it, then she held the boot to his beak.

Nosedive tried to turn away, but Mira made sure he had no choice but to breathe in the stench for several seconds. She heard him begin to gag, and she moved it away, but only slightly. Nosedive body lurched forward, and he vomited black goo all over the grass. Mira was beginning to feel sick herself, but she dropped the boot and tried to hold him steady as he continued to be sick.

Finally, he stopped and just coughed as Mira pulled him away from the chair and the table. She led him to a clean patch of grass and let him kneel and rest there. When she looked back, she saw that Malberic had disappeared.

"Probably suffering from a weak stomach. He didn't realize the power of Nosedive's foot stench," she said with a smile, but then Nosedive heaved again beside her, and Mira lost her self-control. She scrambled over to the wall and threw up a little herself. Then she walked back over to Nosedive who was laying on the grass, but with relief, Mira noticed that his eyes were clear and normal again.

"Dive, you had me so worried," she breathed as she knelt beside him.

"Oh dude, what did I eat?" Nosedive asked with a groan. "I'm in Sicksville, big time, Mira."

She brushed his hair away from his face and pulled out a canteen of water from her pack.

"You ate some pretty nasty stuff, Dive. I'm sorry, but I didn't know what to do except to get you to throw up."

"It's cool. I'm just glad I'm not eating any more of that trash. Why couldn't I stop?"

"The guy who runs this place has a sick sense of control …and magical powers. He cast some kind of a spell on the food to make you keep eating it."

She gave him the canteen, and he hesitated for a moment to take it.

"It's clean water, Dive. You need it."

Helping him sit up, Mira gave him the canteen and he drank from it slowly.

"You look better," she said. "How do you feel?"

"Like someone punched me in the gut, but I'm glad to get that junk out of my stomach so thanks. I'll never eat any of that black stuff again."

"I certainly hope not."

Mira looked up at the sky and noticed that it seemed to be growing darker.

"Nosedive, I know you still feel pretty rough, but I think we need to get moving. This isn't a safe place to stay the night."

He nodded, but Mira had to help him to his feet and even then, he seemed to be in some pain still.

"Come on, I'll help you," she said as she led him out into a passage.

Nosedive leaned on her and together they walked on through the maze. They trudged through several passageways with Mira making silent decisions in her head until Nosedive stopped.

"Hey, Mira, I'm still not feeling so good. You'd better just bench me and go on ahead."

He moved up against one of the walls and leaned his face against the cool marble.

"I get it, Dive. You must feel awful, but I don't think we should stop. We need to get somewhere safer."

"How much longer will that take?"

Mira looked around.

"I can't say, but I'll know it when I see it."

Nosedive nodded.

"Got it, so you go on and find it, and I'll catch up."

 **If you want Mira to stick with Nosedive and keep him moving, click on Chapter 10.**

 **If you want Mira to scout ahead while Nosedive rests, click on Chapter 11.**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"It's certainly more comfortable to walk down a slope than to climb up a hill," Mira said.

She gladly accepted the path leading down, and at first, it was easy to follow. Mira even felt like she could move faster, because she wasn't having to struggle to climb upwards.

But as an hour or more passed, Mira found that the path grew steeper and steeper. The grass under her feet seemed to be almost slippery at times, and there was nothing to grip on the smooth black walls of the labyrinth.

"When does this level out?" Mira asked as she looked around. And suddenly looking back, she realized that if this was the wrong path, there would be no way for her retrace her steps to get out. The slope was getting too steep to climb back up. Still, Mira tried to seize the grass behind her as a way to pull herself up, but it gave way and she slid a little farther.

A terrible feeling told Mira that she had made a mistake in choosing this path, but there was nothing to do but go on and hope she would find one of the ducks at the bottom … and a way out.

Moving slowly, Mira steadied herself as she took each step down the path, but as gravity began to pull on her, she found herself being forced to move faster to stay upright. Eventually, she was almost running downhill, but suddenly, through the gloom, she saw that the path came to an abrupt ledge.

"No!" Mira cried out as she swung herself back and landed on the ground, but her body continued to slide on the grass, and she just managed to catch hold of some weeds as her legs and waist swung out over the ledge.

Breathing heavily, Mira held on tightly to the weeds as she tried to find a foothold to push herself up onto the ledge.

"It appears you've found the pit," Malberic said as he appeared just a few feet away, standing with perfect balance on the steep slope.

Mira didn't answer and tried to keep her focus on not falling.

"You don't have to be afraid," Malberic continued. "It's not going to hurt you. It's not even very deep. But you will have trouble getting out once you fall in."

"The ducks aren't down there, are they?" Mira asked.

"No," Malberic said with a smirk. "It doesn't matter now what you do. You chose the wrong path. You won't be finding anyone today."

At that moment, the weeds pulled free of the ground, and Mira cried out as she fell over the ledge. But the dark elf was right, the fall did not leave her with any broken bones, only a few bruises.

Mira looked up out of the pit and saw him lean over.

"You're welcome to keep trying to find a way out, but you might as well give up. But if you choose not to surrender, don't forget that I'll still be back for you at the end of six days."

Then he vanished, and Mira sat alone with her pouch in the pit.

 **You've reached one of the many endings in this story. Unfortunately, this is one of the few endings where you don't get to help Mira find any of the ducks. To change the story, go back to either Chapter 3 or Chapter 4.**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"No pain, no gain," Mira said as she started towards the uphill passage.

It was a tough climb as the grassy slope between the walls grew steeper and steeper, but Mira found that she could manage it. She wished that the walls would remain the same height instead of shifting with the landscape. If the narrow path rose up, but the walls didn't, then she would be able to see over them – maybe even climb over them. But there was no such luck.

Mira kept going for hours until she thought she saw a spot where the ground leveled off up ahead, and she scrambled up towards with it with the muscles in her legs burning from the effort. As she clambered onto the flat space, she saw with dismay that it only led to a dead end. The walls encircled the grass except for the part she had just passed over.

"That was a lot of work for nothing," Mira said angrily.

"I warned you," Malberic said as he appeared in front of the wall before her. "Pure effort will win you nothing here. You can run until you collapse or search until your eyes are exhausted, and yet, find nothing."

Mira stared at him with suspicion.

"How do I know the ducks are even here? What if there's no way for me to find anyone?"

Malberic stretched out his hand to one side and suddenly the black walls became as clear as glass and Mira could see the whole labyrinth. In the far distance, she saw someone sitting in a chair at a table.

"Nosedive," she said, recognizing his hair.

"He was waiting for you to find him," Malberic said. "But alas, you'll never reach him before nightfall now."

Mira pushed herself up and began stumbling back down the slope that she had climbed up. When she finally reached the bottom, she raced back through passageways trying to get to Nosedive, but the walls had turned black and opaque again. And even though she had seen Nosedive from a distance, she kept getting turned around in the maze.

"And the darkness has come," Malberic said as he watched the day end from high up on the slope.

As the first day ended, a mist swept down from the sky, and the labyrinth disappeared around Mira. She called out for Nosedive and kept trying to search for him, but her first day had ended in failure and doomed the rest of her chances to help the ducks.

 **You've reached one of the many endings in this story. Unfortunately, this is one of the few endings where you don't get to help Mira reach any of the ducks. To change the story, go back to either Chapter 3 or Chapter 4.**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Mira hated to see Nosedive in this kind of shape, but things would only get worse for him if she couldn't get him to safety before nightfall.

"Dive, I'm not leaving you. We cannot get separated in a demented place like this. And I'm sorry, but we don't have time to rest."

She placed her arm under his and clung to his chest as she drew him away from the wall.

"Now let's just take one step at a time, okay?"

Nosedive nodded and followed at her side though his head drooped. They moved at such a slow pace that Mira was afraid darkness would overtake them at any moment, but as the gloom deepened, they turned a corner and there was a cottage like the one she had stayed in the first night.

"Nosedive, we made it!" Mira said excitedly. "I think we'll be okay to rest here. Come on, let's move a little faster and get inside."

Nosedive raised his head enough to see the cottage, and he put a little more effort into his steps. Darkness began to fill like maze like shadows poured down between the walls, but Mira managed to move Nosedive beyond the doorframe before it reached them.

She turned around to shut the door, and Mira saw that the maze seemed to be disappearing as if it was sinking back into a dark mist. And suddenly Malberic appeared just a few feet beyond the door. His expression was solemn and cold.

"No doubt you are pleased with yourself."

"I am glad to be with Nosedive, but what you did to him was terrible," Mira said angrily. "How can you treat anyone with such cruelty?"

"He was not clever enough to avoid the food as you were. He only brought the curse on himself."

"But you could have stopped it," Mira insisted.

"You forget that I do not care for these creatures as you do. To me they are merely beasts to be toyed with. But you bested my magic today. For that, you have earned something from me, so I will promise you this. No one else, not you nor any duck, will suffer ill effects from what you eat or drink here. And if you're still concerned about your friend in there, I can assure you he'll be feeling better by morning."

"Just leave us alone," Mira said.

Malberic disappeared, and she shut the door firmly before turning around.

"Who were you talking to?" Nosedive asked as he climbed into one of the two beds.

"Our delightful host," Mira sighed. "But he's gone now, and we can rest here."

Nosedive laid down in exhaustion on the bed, and Mira covered him with a blanket.

"Do you know where Wing and the others are?" he asked with half-closed eyes.

"Not yet, but we'll find them, Dive," she assured him.

"When I was under that spell today, I almost thought I saw Wildwing a few times," Nosedive said wearily. "It was like being in a dream. I thought he would come and find me at that table."

"Did Wildwing talk to you?" Mira asked curiously as she remembered her own dreams from the night before.

"No, but I was probably just imagining stuff."

"Still, can you tell me what you remember?" Mira asked.

"It was like he was looking for me, but he kept vanishing, and I don't think he ever knew where I was. But I couldn't figure out where he was either. Crazy dream, right?"

Mira grew quiet as she wondered why she and Nosedive would both have similar visions of Wildwing. Nosedive began to snore softly, and Mira watched him with a tired smile before allowing herself to rest in the other bed.

 **You've helped Mira successfully reach the end of Day One. Great work! You can pick up the story with Mira and Nosedive in Chapter 12 – Day Two.**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Mira watched Nosedive with pity as she saw how tired he looked. Perhaps she stood a better chance of finding a way to safety if she could move quickly on her own. Surely, she could come back for him.

"All right, Dive, I'll go on, but you have to stay here. I'm afraid that if you move from this spot, then we'll lose each other in the maze."

"Sure thing, girly girl. I'll be here," Nosedive said with a faint smile.

Mira gave his hand a squeeze before she darted down the passageway. She wasn't exactly sure what she was looking for, but she felt certain she would see something that offered more of a promise of safety that lingering by these walls at night.

Whenever she came to a division, where she had to choose to go right or left, Mira tried to dig her foot into the grass and mark up the ground, so she'd know which way she needed to take to get back to Dive.

But down one of these passages, she came to a dead end and went back the way she came, expecting to see exposed dirt on the ground with her mark. But as she approached it, she saw new grass growing up from the ground.

"No, not now," she said as she raced over it and tried to find her previous marks in other places, but the grass had returned too quickly, and now she was only guessing at the way back to Nosedive.

"Dive! Can you hear me? I need you to direct me back!" Mira shouted.

His voice seemed to answer her in the distance, and Mira tried to follow it. But when she called out again, he didn't answer.

The sky was growing darker above her, and Mira felt panic rising up inside of her, but as she darted down another passage, she saw Nosedive standing beside the wall ahead her.

"Found you," she said with relief, but then she stopped short.

Malberic was standing in front of Nosedive, and the young duck was staring back at him with black eyes like someone in a trance.

"You should not have left him," Malberic said with a smile.

"Release him!" Mira demanded. "I found him and broke your spell once already."

"But you didn't get him to safety before the day ended," Malberic reminded her. "That was a key part of our agreement. Exposed out here he remains subject to my power."

Malberic moved his hand towards Nosedive and commanded him to sit. Without speaking or seeming to see Mira, Nosedive sat down clumsily on the grass.

"I'll take him back to my fortress now, and perhaps there I'll let him awaken to see that you've abandoned him."

Mira frowned and charged forward, but Malberic disappeared with Nosedive. The labyrinth around her faded as a dark mist settled all around her.

"No, this isn't over!" Mira shouted.

"It will be in five more days," Malberic's voice said in the mist. "That's when I'll be back for you."

 **This is one possible ending for Day One, but you can go back to Chapter 7 to find the other. In this ending, Mira failed to fully rescue Nosedive, and now she won't be able to find the other ducks either.**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12 – Day Two

"So Dragaunus sent us to this elf dude, and he's like a psycho sicko who wants to spend his free time messin' with us. And we're stuck in this humungo maze until we find the others, and then we can go home."

"Basically," Mira said as she looked back at Nosedive.

Morning of day two had arrived, and they had left the cottage to try to find more ducks. Mira had awoken without remembering any dreams from the night before, and Nosedive couldn't recall any either.

"By the way, how are you feeling, Dive?" Mira asked.

Nosedive opened his beak and burped loudly, but then he smiled.

"Much better."

Mira rolled her eyes, but she smiled and kept walking.

"Hey, can I have some more from the snack bag?" Nosedive asked.

"Do you ever stop eating even when you're not under a spell?" Mira sighed as she drew out some bread and peanut butter and thrust it into his hands.

"Resisting an evil elf lord makes me hungry," Nosedive protested.

They walked on together as Nosedive ate loudly beside her and then asked for the water to quench his thirst.

"That canteen must be magical since it never seems to run out of water," Mira said as she shook it and handed it to Dive.

He paused and hesitated to drink it.

"I didn't mean it was cursed," Mira said as she took it and drank some before handing it back to him.

Nosedive relaxed and drank from it.

"So, do you know where you're going?" Nosedive asked as he wiped his beak and gave the canteen back to her.

"Not exactly," Mira sighed. "It's not like I have a map of this place, and it seems like it's always changing."

"Not to mention that this place totally folds at dark," Nosedive added.

"Yeah, trying to find another duck and then find shelter is not easy before nightfall. But we managed it yesterday."

She and Nosedive had to wander through several passages, but Mira was glad to at least have Nosedive to talk to as they moved through the maze. After some hours, they finally came upon a wide, open area like the one where she found Nosedive the day before.

Mira smiled and pulled Nosedive along eagerly, and his expression also brightened as he recognized someone ahead of them.

"Hey, Mallory!" Nosedive called out as he waved to her, but Mira stood back and watched as Mallory leapt on top of some rocks. She turned her head towards them, but she didn't seem to see or acknowledge them.

"Whoa, what's wrong with her eyes?" Nosedive asked backing up a bit.

"She's under a spell. You actually looked like that yesterday too."

"Oh man, that's so weird."

They turned back to observe Mallory, who had picked up a large, long branch, and she was wielding it like a staff. And then she shouted out, "Ready for action, captain! What are your orders?"

"What is she doing?" Mira said as she and Nosedive approached the rocks.

Mallory gave an odd salute to the empty air and stood stiffly at attention.

"She acts like she's back in Puckworld's Special Forces," Nosedive said. "That's the way they salute. I knew someone from school who joined before I met Mallory."

"It looks like she's preparing for some kind of mission…," Mira said, and then she saw a huge bulky shape on the far side of the rocks. At first, she had assumed it was a massive boulder, but now Mira could see that it was breathing.

"There's something back there. We have to stop Mallory before she reaches it … or it gets to her."

Mira started forward, but then Nosedive called out, and she halted. Looking back, she saw that the ground had begun to rise up around Nosedive's feet. The grass and dirt were sealing him in place, preventing him from moving no matter how much he tried to break free. Mira turned back and seized his arm, but she couldn't pull him loose.

"There is no cheating in this game."

Mira turned and saw Malberic standing off to the side.

"What do you mean?"

"Whoa, is that him?" Nosedive asked.

"How is this cheating, Malberic?" Mira asked, tugging on Nosedive again, still trying to free him.

"The task of freeing the ducks was given to you. Your beaked companion cannot help."

Nosedive tried pulling his legs freed, and he gripped Mira's arms and pulled until she nearly fell over trying to help him. But he couldn't get loose.

"That's my teammate over there, creepazoid!" Nosedive argued.

"And she's about to stumble upon my troll. It won't end well for any of you if she does."

Mira broke free of Nosedive and began clambering over the rocks. Wasting time arguing was not an option, but as she started to draw near to Mallory, she overhead her speaking to more imaginary figures.

"Claim Exercise, affirmative captain. Recon and dominate the perimeter."

Mira halted as she tried to understand what Mallory was talking about. And why was she holding that long stick out in front of her?

"Mira!" Nosedive called. "Think capture the flag … but a little more intense and more movement!"

Looking back at the stick, Mira suddenly understood why Mallory was holding it so tight, and then she saw that Mallory's gaze was locked on the sleeping troll's bulk.

"If she tries to plant a flag on that troll, we are so dead," Mira realized. "But this is Mallory. I mean, how am I supposed to stop her?"

 **You have three choices to decide between this time!**

 **If you want Mira to race ahead and try to cut Mallory off before she reaches the troll, select Chapter 13.**

 **If you want Mira to try to steal the branch from Mallory, select Chapter 14.**

 **If you want Mira to face Mallory straight on and try to reason with her, select Chapter 15.**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

"I'll stop her before she gets to the troll," Mira said out loud as she made her decision and climbed up on top of the rocks. Jumping from one to the other and running over the boulders, Mira worked her way across a seemingly difficult obstacle course.

Mallory was already on her way towards the troll, but Mira sped up to get ahead of her. But where she thought Mallory had not seen her before, now she saw Mallory turn her head and… _Did she just glare at me?_

Mira kept going though until she managed to cross a particularly large boulder and cut Mallory off from crossing over to the troll. Mira put her hands out in front of her and stood her ground as Mallory charged up to her.

"Stop!"

"You will not interfere with the mission," Mallory said as she jumped into the air, spun around, and kicked Mira in the side.

Mira forced herself back up and tried to seize Mallory's arm, but as they began to struggle, a deep growl rumbled behind them. The hideous face of the troll rose up as he stood to his feet and roared at them.

"Mallory, come on! Wake up!" Mira called as she tried to pull her away.

"You will not stop me!" Mallory said, pushing her away.

Mira felt onto one of the rocks as she watched Mallory keep running towards the troll with the branch held high in one hand. But the troll drew back one of his massive hands and swatted at her like she was a fly. The force of his blow knocked Mallory several feet to the right until she hit one of the black walls and collapsed on the ground.

Mira stared in horror as she heard Nosedive calling out Mallory's name in the distance. Finally, she stirred herself to move as the troll turned back towards her. Mira scrambled down between the rocks and weaved through them until she reached Mallory's fallen form.

"Mallory! Oh, please, Mallory, can you hear me?"

She checked for a pulse and was relieved to feel one, but as she looked up, she saw that the troll had forgotten her. Now it was moving quickly over the rocks towards Nosedive, who was still trapped in one place.

Mira scrambled up and started to run after the troll. But she could see that she would not be able to stop it or reach Nosedive in time. She tried to call out and distract it, but it cared nothing for her. Nosedive crouched down and tried to pull himself free, but he was unable to move.

"Don't hurt him!" she pleaded when she saw Malberic still standing off to the side. "Please, stop the troll!"

Malberic raised his hand and suddenly the troll halted.

"Are you ready to admit defeat on this day?" he asked.

"What?" Mira said as she drew closer. "No, but…"

He lowered his hand.

"Then we have nothing to discuss."

The troll growled again and started moving.

"No!" Mira shouted. "Why would you let this happen? You're going to kill them!"

Malberic let the troll keep taking steps closer to Nosedive.

"No, it won't kill them. Maybe a few broken bones, but I'm not ready to destroy my investments."

Mira tried to get in front of the troll to move between it and Nosedive, but Malberic swept her over to him with his power.

"Do you admit defeat?" he asked coldly.

The troll stood over Nosedive, who seemed anxious, but he called out, "Don't do it, Mira!"

"It's too late to make this turn out right," Mira said. "Yes, I failed today! Don't hurt him!"

Malberic halted the troll and then he dismissed it. The great beast lumbered back to its place of rest. Nosedive's feet were freed from the ground, but a darkness filled his eyes. And Malberic raised his hand towards Mallory. She was lifted up into the air by an invisible force and carried to him.

"I'll be taking back what's mine then," the dark elf said. "And I'll see you in four more days."

A mist filled the air as he disappeared with the two ducks, and Mira was left alone with her thoughts about what she would have done differently.

 **In this ending, Mira was unable to rescue Nosedive and Mallory. Malberic will be back for her at the end of the week to add her to prisoners under his spell. Go back to Chapter 12, and you can change the story.**


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Mallory was a tough opponent to face in one-on-one combat situations. Mira remembered seeing her practice against her teammates. Grin, of course, usually succeeded with just about anyone he faced, but Mallory knew how to give him a good fight. _But I'm definitely not Grin_ , Mira thought to herself.

Then she remembered that one other teammate usually faired better against Mallory than the others. _Duke has beaten Mallory more than once_ , Mira thought. _I'm not Duke either, but I do know how to adopt some of his tactics where I can't imitate Grin's raw strength._ Where the other ducks usually failed with Mallory was in their frontal and direct attempts to attack her in their practice sessions. Duke understood how to be sneaky. Mira smiled as she remembered that Mallory often complained that Duke didn't fight according to regulation standards.

"So if Duke was here," Mira said quietly to herself. "I think I know what he'd do."

With that decision made, she began hurrying after Mallory, who had started to make for the troll in the distance. Mira used the rocks as cover to get closer to Mallory. She wasn't sure how much Mallory could see, but it seemed best to assume she would have to take her by surprise.

When Mira was standing in between the rocks just below Mallory, she reached up and pulled the branch out of Mallory's hands. Mallory did appear surprised, but those black eyes quickly turned on Mira, and Mira darted back into the cover of the rocks as she clambered and ran in the opposite direction of the troll.

"Enemy scouts!" Mallory shouted as she chased after her.

Mira could tell Mallory was gaining on her quickly, but she didn't dare look back. She could only hope that she could evade Mallory by slipping between the rocks instead of jumping and running over them.

At last, Mira darted into the open space beyond the rocks, and she saw Nosedive, still stuck, waiting for her.

"Look out!" he warned.

And Mira dropped to the ground and rolled to the side as Mallory jumped down at her from the rocks. Mira scrambled up and thrust the branch into Nosedive's hands.

"Whoa, why give it to me?!" And then he ducked as Mallory threw a punch in his direction, but he still couldn't move his feet. "Stop it, Mal!"

Mira had darted back and now came at Mallory from behind. A thrust to the back of the legs, and a strategic placement of her other foot between Mallory's allowed her to trip the red-head, but Mallory latched on to her leg and dragged Mira down with her.

"Dive, the branch!" Mira called as she stretched out her hands.

Nosedive tossed it back to her.

And Mira thrust the stick into the dirt with her hands even as she lay on the ground.

"That's my flag. Perimeter claimed! Now wake up, Mallory!"

Mallory had partly risen and started towards her when Mira grasped the branch again, but now as Mira looked back, she saw that Mallory had halted and the blackness was fading from her eyes.

"Mira? What's going on?" Mallory asked as she blinked and put her hand to her head in confusion. "Did you take something from me?"

Mira smiled and laid her head back on the grass as she caught her breath. Mallory stood up, and Mira looked over to see the dirt crumbling off of Nosedive's feet as he shook himself free. Both ducks helped Mira up from the ground.

"Man, I thought you were going to punch the feathers off of me, Mal," Nosedive said, though he seemed happy to see her freed from the spell.

Mallory opened her beak to ask a question, but suddenly, a loud roar echoed from the other side of the rocks. A monstrous shape, the size of an elephant, rose up with and roared in anger, displaying several crude and vicious teeth.

The troll fixed them with its dark eyes, and Mira seized Mallory and Nosedive's hands as she pulled them into the maze.

"Run!" she called.

Mira and the two ducks raced into a new passageway, but the troll strode after them, and it began breaking some of the walls as it ran, swinging a huge rock club in its hands. The debris threatened to crush them as it came crashing down.

Looking back, Mira saw that wherever the troll destroyed the labyrinth, Malberic's mist came sweeping in, swallowing up anything in its path.

"Faster! Faster!" Mira urged

They managed to dart around a corner and evade the troll's sight, but only to face a division where a choice had to be made about which direction to go. Mallory and Nosedive both started to keep going, but they began to run in separate directions, and Mira just managed to halt them.

"We have to stay together!"

"Left!" Mallory insisted, grabbing Mira's arm.

"No, right!" Nosedive argued, pointing to the other passage.

 **Should Mira listen to Mallory and take them left? If so, click Chapter 16.**

 **Should Mira listen to Nosedive and take them right? If so, click Chapter 17.**


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Mira felt that, if given the chance, Mallory would awaken from this spell and see that she putting herself in danger. This gave her the confidence to head straight for her friend and try to talk to her.

But it was a struggle to catch up to Mallory, who had already started to make her way towards the troll, but in favoring speed over caution, Mira dealt with the bruises and scrapes she received climbing over boulders. When she reached Mallory, Mira walked up alongside her and tried to get her attention.

"Mallory, this isn't real. Let me help you."

But the red-haired duck suddenly took a hockey stance and rammed Mira as if slamming her into the boards before pushing past her. Mira was knocked from the large boulder on which she had been standing, and she fell into a space down between the massive rocks.

It hurt terribly, but Mira tried to get up, only to find that her left ankle was wedged tightly between a crevice in the rocks. She cried out in pain as she tried to move it.

"Mira! Hey, what happened!" Nosedive called.

Mira bit her lip as she used her hands and other foot to push herself up a little higher, but she still couldn't pull her ankle free. Stretching up her hand, she called out to Dive,

"I'm here, but my ankle's stuck."

" 'Kay, I'm coming! Hold on!" Nosedive shouted back.

Mira could hear him working hard to free himself again, but she knew Malberic would never release him to help her.

She pulled herself up enough to see over the rocks, and in the distance, she saw Mallory running up to the troll.

"Mallory! Stop!"

But lost in her own illusion, Mallory kept going, and she leapt onto it and thrust the branch down upon it as if she was planting a flag. The troll roared as it rose up, and suddenly Mallory seemed to awaken briefly from her trance.

"Run!" Mira shouted.

And Mallory seemed to hear her this time, because she turned and began running away. Mira didn't try to draw attention to herself as she saw how narrow Mallory's escape from the troll would be. She watched as Mallory managed to reach the area where Nosedive called out to her.

Mira saw her stop to try to help him, but the troll was coming for both of them. Malberic appeared suddenly beside Mira.

"It looks like they need someone to save them, and it's not going to be you."

"They wouldn't need saving if you'd let Nosedive go and get rid of that troll," Mira said while trying again to free her ankle.

"You think so? Let's see if that's true," Malberic said.

He lifted his hand and the troll halted, and Mira heard Nosedive call out as he finally pulled his feet free from the ground. She looked up to see Nosedive pointing and directly Mallory back to her. Lifting her gaze, Mira saw that the mist that fell upon the labyrinth at night was forming overhead.

"No, go on without me!" she called out, though she wasn't even sure if that would help them at this point.

But they were both racing back for Mira, heedless of the danger. Malberic disappeared with a grim smile. When the ducks reached her, Nosedive hopped down and helped free her ankle, and Mallory then pulled her up onto the rocks.

"You shouldn't have come back for me," Mira protested. "There's not time, and I can barely walk."

Nosedive hopped up on the rocks and scooped her up in his arms.

"We're not leaving you behind."

They hurried over the rocks and started to run back into the main part of the maze, but the mist came cascading down upon them like water pouring over a cliff.

"What does this mean?" Mallory asked.

Mira held tightly to them, but she knew it wouldn't help.

"It means we were too late. Day Two is over."

 **In this ending, Mira was unable to get Nosedive and Mallory to safety before nightfall. Malberic put them back under his spell and whisked them away from Mira. But because of her own failure, Mira will also lose her freedom when time runs out. Go back to Chapter 12, and you can change the story.**


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

"All right, Mallory," Mira agreed as she pulled Nosedive towards them. The troll ran into view behind them with a roar, and there was no time for any further debate as they all three ran to the left.

They raced down the passage with more debris flying around them, and as they turned around corner, Mira saw a large shape appear ahead of them.

"I saw a vision of this place just moments ago," Mallory said as she led them on. "It was in my head like I was dreaming. We can take cover from the troll in this bunker."

"Bunker?!" Mira repeated, and suddenly the shape ahead of her became clearer. It looked like an old military bunker, rusted and overgrown with weeds.

"What about the cottage?" Nosedive asked as he looked at Mira.

Mira turned back towards the way they came, but the troll was already barreling its way through, destroying the labyrinth behind it. There was no choice but to run to the bunker.

Mallory had pulled the door open as far as she could and was holding it for Mira and Nosedive.

"Come on!"

With the troll thundering just yards behind, Mira and Nosedive raced inside with Mallory, and then suddenly everything grew strangely silent. They couldn't hear the loud footsteps or the grunts of the troll. A blue light lit up the room, and Mira suddenly saw that the mist was pouring into the bunker from the doorway.

When she looked up, Malberic was standing in front of Mallory and Nosedive with a smile. Their eyes were completely black and they kneeled before him.

"No, you can't do this!" Mira protested.

"Mallory welcomed the illusion of safety that I showed her while she was under my spell. Notice how she ran right back to me. And you allowed her to… along with this one. So they are mine again."

"I saved both of them. You can't have them," Mira protested as she tried to pull Mallory and Nosedive up and away from him, but they wouldn't budge.

"You didn't _keep_ your friends safe though. See you in four days," he said as he vanished with Nosedive and Mallory.

 **In this ending, Mira is defeated in her attempts to save the ducks, but you can go back to Chapter 14, and choose differently.**


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

"Okay, Nosedive, we'll go right," Mira said as she pulled Mallory away from the other passage.

Mallory started to protest, but the troll burst through the walls behind them, and Nosedive was already running and pulling them into the right passage.

The right passage had several turns, and Mira found that they were constantly weaving around corners while the troll roared behind them. But eventually, they came around one turn to see a cottage in a space ahead of them.

"Nosedive, you found it!" Mira said excitedly.

"Yeah, why the surprise?"

They hurried towards it, but Mallory appeared doubtful.

"That tiny hut is not going to stop the troll."

"The cottage is a safe zone. Trust us, Mallory," Mira insisted.

The troll thundered through last part of the passage, and they could feel the ground shake under his footsteps as they pushed open the door of the cottage and hurried inside. Mira turned around to shut the door when suddenly the troll stopped short of the cottage. His toes were just a stone's throw away from the door.

But with a grunt, the huge beast turned and lumbered back in the direction he had come, and the mist swallowed him up.

Malberic appeared once the troll was gone with a serious expression.

"You reached safety yet again."

"And I will help the ducks find it again tomorrow," Mira assured him. "But since we beat the maze again today, I think you owe us something. And I would like to put in a request for no more trolls."

Malberic nodded.

"I shall withdraw my trolls."

"Yeah, no other big monsters," Mira said.

"Done," Malberic agreed. "We shall see if you are up the other challenges that tomorrow will bring."

He disappeared, and Mira drew in a deep breath as she turned back to Nosedive and Mallory.

"What is going on?" Mallory asked in confusion.

"I'll explain as best I can," Mira said, but she removed the pouch that was hanging across her chest and shoulder. "But first, we need some food and water."

"Break out the grub!" Nosedive said eagerly.

Once all of them had some food and the canteen was getting passed around, Mira asked,

"Nosedive, how did you know to come this way to find the cottage?"

"When I was stuck and you were chasin' after Mallory, I kinda blacked out for a minute just standing there. I thought that I saw Wildwing calling to me. But then it was like he disappeared and I opened my eyes and that elf-jerk was looking around. He turned and stared at me, but then you came back and put that branch in my hands. So anyway, when we were running from the troll, it was like Wildwing had told me which way to go."

"I thought we needed to go to the left to find shelter," Mallory said, shaking her head. "I was certain there was something there. It seemed like I saw something there before you woke me up."

"What did you see?" Mira asked.

"I didn't see Wildwing. But I thought there was a military bunker over there that might hold up against the troll's attacks."

"Before you woke up, you were convinced you were competing in some kind of military exercise," Mira said skeptically. "I don't know that you should trust any other military-themed visions that you get here."

"You mean it could happen to me again?" Mallory asked.

"I don't think any of us are safe until we get back to Earth," Mira warned. "But there is something going on with Wildwing. I saw him once in a dream too. Maybe he's trying to help."

"Wish we could find him," Nosedive said as his tone grew more solemn.

"We will, Dive," Mira insisted. "Tomorrow we'll find one of the other ducks, and we'll keep going until we've got everyone."

 **You've helped Mira successfully reach the end of Day Two. Great work! You can pick up the story with Mira, Nosedive, and Mallory in Chapter 18 – Day Three.**

 **Please leave reviews!**

 **The feedback is really helpful!**


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18 – Day Three

Before morning dawned on the third day, Mira lay still sleeping in the cottage with Nosedive and Mallory. _Deep in her dreams, she wandered through patches of pale light until Wildwing appeared out of one of them._

" _Over here, Mira."_

 _Mira reached out for him, but her hand slipped through his arm as if he was a hologram. And her expression fell into disappointment._

" _Where are you, Wildwing? I need your help."_

" _I can't explain yet, but I have to keep moving, or he'll find me."_

" _I have Nosedive and Mallory with me," Mira told him._

 _Wildwing smiled._

" _I know. Thank you. There wouldn't be any hope without what you're doing by standing up to Malberic."_

" _Yeah, but if I make even one mistake…"_

 _Wildwing held out his hand, and even though Mira couldn't touch him, she still laid her hand over the space where his seemed to be._

" _You saved us once. And I believe you'll do it again."_

 _He turned his head as if listening or sensing something._

" _I have to go, but I'm trying to help you where I can. See you in a few days, Mira."_

 _The light seemed to fade as he disappeared from view._

"Mira. Hey, Mira!"

Opening her eyes, Mira saw Mallory standing over her, and she blinked, not feeling fully awake.

"What is it? Why did you wake me?"

"It's morning, girly girl! And you were like mumbling in your sleep," Nosedive said as he popped into view.

"You were in a really deep sleep," Mallory said. "Are you all right?"

"Ever had that feeling when you wake up in the middle of dream and you are exhausted?"

Mallory nodded and smiled.

"Sorry. But don't we have a time limit on the maze?"

Mira sat up and looked around. Light was entering the cottage through the cracks around the door and shuttered windows. She rubbed her face and made herself stand up.

"No, you're right. We should get moving."

"What were you dreaming about?" Nosedive asked.

Mallory handed her some breakfast and the water canteen as they walked to the door. Mira saw the familiar black walls of the maze around them as they stepped out.

"I'll tell you later, Dive. Let's focus on finding someone before too much of the day passes."

But finding the next duck in the maze proved to be a greater challenge than it had on the previous two days. Mira grew nervous as hours passed and still she felt as though they wandered without even getting close to finding someone.

"Is there nothing to direct us here?" Mallory finally asked.

"All of the walls and passages look the same for the most part," Mira said.

Mallory bent down and tried to pull up some grass and scratch a line in the dirt below.

"Well, at least we should make sure we know where we've been."

But even as Mallory stood up and turned away, Mira grabbed her arm and pointed. The grass grew up from the ground with unnatural speed and covered the mark in the dirt. And in a matter of seconds, it looked just as it had before.

"No fair, man! This is impossible!" Nosedive argued as if speaking to Malberic.

But Mira directed Mallory and Dive on as she continued.

"Nothing's really fair here, but if we keep moving, I believe we'll find someone."

Time passed, and the sky grew darker before the three travelers finally reached a place where the maze opened up into a wide square room.

"Look, there's Tanya!" Mallory said as she directed their attention to the bright yellow hair and purple clothing of their teammate.

Mira hurried forward, but as the ducks followed her, an iron cage appeared from the walls above and came crashing down upon Nosedive and Mallory. Mira turned back and watched as iron claw feet snapped down from the bottom of the cage and latched into the earth with a tight grip.

Mallory fought back trying to get free, but Nosedive just threw up his arms.

"Not this again, jerkazoid!"

Mira sighed and paused to try to reassure Mallory.

"There's a rule that I have to go on and do this alone."

She turned back and hurried on towards Tanya, who was walking around in circles. Her eyes were black, and her purple glasses hung crooked on her beak. She kept muttering things as she walked at almost a frantic pace, even stumbling at times when she turned too quickly. Mira ran up and put her hands on Tanya's arms.

"Tanya, it's Mira. Can you hear me?"

"It doesn't make ss-sense… two, three, one…"

Mira shook her head and took a step back. She studied their surroundings. _There's so much here to look at that it's overwhelming, and we don't have much time._

A compass had been carved into the ground in the middle of the field where the grass looked as though it had been burned away. Against the north wall, a table lay strewn with strange items like a silver bowl, a battle-worn sword, and an ivory-colored horn with gold filigree.

Near the east wall, the ruins of a crumbling arch stood, seeming to lead to nowhere, but a burning torch was mounted in an iron perch on the wall. The torch burned brightly in the dim light as its flames danced in the air, and Mira was reminded of how late it was getting.

By the west wall, there was nothing except a large pit upon which some piles of branches rested, but as she looked higher, Mira saw an odd shape forming from the mist near the top of the wall. After a few seconds, she realized that it was a rain cloud as the mist took on a grayish hue and became more solid in appearance.

Tanya walked back over to the opening in the south wall, where Nosedive and Mallory remained trapped. But she didn't appear to see them as they called to her. Instead, Tanya began to pick up sets of stones, some baseball-sized, and others flat like tablets. Mira hurried over to see what she was doing, and that's when she noticed there was writing on the stone tablets.

"Here, Tanya, let me see."

There were three tablets, and a riddle was carved into each:

Kissed in the midst of battle,

I call to loyal hearts and drown the faithless.

Clothed in gold,

I am hard and headless.

But I can swallow a man's breath,

And sing out a warning for miles over the hills.

Shifting colors against a pale canvas,

I live in exile with no dwelling upon the earth.

In sorrow, I weep and cast shadows upon the ground,

But the land welcomes my tears.

Always fleeing upon strong winds,

I diminish and am reborn, though who can count the times?

Insatiable hunger rises into the air,

I am a ruthless ravager, bright in the darkness.

Feed me fairly,

And I will serve you well.

But let me grow proud,

And grim will be your reward.

"Are you serious?" Mira said with wide eyes. "I'm about to run out of time, and today is about solving riddles!"

"Here, here…" Tanya said as she turned and waved her hands around blindly. Then she fell forward on the ground and began to crawl towards the compass.

"Tanya!"

Mira set the tablets down on the shelf beside the wall and hurried over to her, but Tanya kept running her hands over the different points of the compass. Mira looked up and studied the room again.

"The riddles are about things that are _here_. That's right, Tanya."

She helped her up and drew her back to the shelf with the tablets, but this time Tanya stumbled with outstretched hands towards the scale and the round rocks.

"Two, three, one…three, one, two."

She began to try to put rocks on the scale. Mira heard laughter behind her and turned to see Malberic watching them.

"It's been amusing watching your little friend try to solve my riddles on her own. She's tried so hard while she was waiting for you. I was almost tempted to give her back her sight and clarity of mind to see if she could truly figure it out."

Mira cast a glare at him, but she turned and focused again on the tablets, but Tanya picked one up and continued with her muttering.

 **If you think Mira should pay attention to what Tanya is doing, select Chapter 19.**

 **If you think Mira should push Tanya away and focus on her own efforts, select Chapter 20.**


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

"One, three, two…" Tanya persisted as she set the tablet down on the scale.

Mira watched as she put a round rock on the other side of the scale, but the tablet remained heavier. Tanya felt the scale with her hands, and then she grabbed another rock and put it on the scale. This time, though, it balanced.

"Two," Mira realized. "That's why you're counting. But aren't all of these tablets the same weight?"

Tanya handed the tablet she had just weighed to Mira, and Mira saw it contained this riddle:

Insatiable hunger rises into the air,

I am a ruthless ravager, bright in the darkness.

Feed me fairly,

And I will serve you well.

But let me grow proud,

And grim will be your reward.

The next riddle tablet Tanya weighed needed only one rock to balance to the scale, and it read:

Shifting colors against a pale canvas,

I live in exile with no dwelling upon the earth.

In sorrow, I weep and cast shadows upon the ground,

But the land welcomes my tears.

Always fleeing upon strong winds,

I diminish and am reborn, though who can count the times?

The final tablet needed three round rocks to balance the scale, and it read:

Kissed in the midst of battle,

I call to loyal hearts and drown the faithless.

Clothed in gold,

I am hard and headless.

But I can swallow a man's breath,

And sing out a warning for miles over the hills.

"That's strange that they have different weights when they feel exactly the same," Mira said as she held two the tablets at once. "Why are the numbers significant?"

"One, two, three…" Tanya said as she stared off into space, actually giving the numbers in the correct order for once.

Mira's eyes widened.

"It's not their weight, it's their order. I have to go in a certain order."

She laid them out with one being first, two in the middle, and three at the end.

"But its these things the riddles are describing that are important," Mira reminded herself. "So maybe I should start by finding them in the right order."

"Here…here," Tanya repeated, but she stood still now as if waiting.

Mira looked around at the different walls which each seemed to have unique things waiting beside them.

 **If you need to reread the description of this part of the maze, go back to Chapter 18 (or see the reposted description below the choices). Once you've solved the riddles, what order should Mira follow?**

 **If you choose North, then West, and finally East, select Chapter 21.**

 **If you choose West, then East, and finally North, select Chapter 22.**

 **If you choose East, then North, and finally West, select Chapter 23.**

(section from Chapter 18 – reposted below)

Mira shook her head and took a step back. She studied their surroundings. _There's so much here to look at that it's overwhelming, and we don't have much time._

A compass had been carved into the ground in the middle of the field where the grass looked as though it had been burned away. Against the north wall, a table lay strewn with strange items like a silver bowl, a battle-worn sword, and an ivory-colored horn with gold filigree.

Near the east wall, the ruins of a crumbling arch stood, seeming to lead to nowhere, but a burning torch was mounted in an iron perch on the wall. The torch burned brightly in the dim light as its flames danced in the air, and Mira was reminded of how late it was getting.

By the west wall, there was nothing except a large pit upon which some piles of branches rested, but as she looked higher, Mira saw an odd shape forming from the mist near the top of the wall. After a few seconds, she realized that it was a rain cloud as the mist took on a grayish hue and became more solid in appearance.

Tanya walked back over to the opening in the south wall, where Nosedive and Mallory remained trapped. But she didn't appear to see them as they called to her. Instead, Tanya began to pick up sets of stones, some baseball-sized, and others flat like tablets. Mira hurried over to see what she was doing, and that's when she noticed there was writing on the stone tablets.

"Here, Tanya, let me see."

There were three tablets, and a riddle was carved into each:

Kissed in the midst of battle,

I call to loyal hearts and drown the faithless.

Clothed in gold,

I am hard and headless.

But I can swallow a man's breath,

And sing out a warning for miles over the hills.

Shifting colors against a pale canvas,

I live in exile with no dwelling upon the earth.

In sorrow, I weep and cast shadows upon the ground,

But the land welcomes my tears.

Always fleeing upon strong winds,

I diminish and am reborn, though who can count the times?

Insatiable hunger rises into the air,

I am a ruthless ravager, bright in the darkness.

Feed me fairly,

And I will serve you well.

But let me grow proud,

And grim will be your reward.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

"Tanya, I know you can't understand me, but you're cursed," Mira said as she walked over and tried to take the tablet back from her.

But Tanya refused to release the tablet. She kept muttering and carrying it around.

"I need that riddle," Mira persisted as she moved in front of Tanya again and grabbed hold of the tablet.

They began to wrestle back and forth with it, and Tanya became almost desperate in her movements as though her life depended on not letting go. Mira could hear Nosedive and Mallory calling out to Tanya from their cage in the distance, as though they could see that things were not going well. In that moment, both Tanya and Mira fumbled with the tablet, and it fell upon a part of the ground where a few rocks rose out of the grass. In colliding with the rocks, the tablet broke into pieces.

Tanya dropped to her knees and began trying to collect the pieces. When Mira reached for some of them, she knocked her hand away. But Mira did manage to grab one piece, and she saw with dismay that the words on the tablet seemed to be fading away. As if by breaking it, the magic that held the words there had been dissolved.

"No! Why couldn't you just let me have it?" Mira said, looking fearfully at Tanya.

Malberic appeared beside them with a smug expression.

"She was only trying to help, but it appears the two of you do not work well together. How much of a friend does that make you?"

Malberic raised his hand towards Mallory and Nosedive, and a darkness began streaming around the grass towards their cage. The two ducks seemed to know what was coming for them, and they struggled and called for Mira.

"Stop! I still have time to try to figure this out," Mira protested.

"It's not just about solving a puzzle," Malberic said with a laugh. "It's about proving to me that you share a connection with these ducks. And I am not convinced."

The darkness swept up into the cage, and the bars disappeared as Nosedive and Mallory's eyes turned black again. They stopped resisting and stared off into space.

 **In this ending, Mira was not able to rescue Tanya or the other ducks, but you can go back to Chapter 18 and try again.**


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

"This riddle is describing a horn, so I'll get that first," Mira said as she walked to the north wall and picked up an ivory and golden horn from the table.

She carried it to west wall where a cloud hung over a few stacks of wood, but she wasn't sure what to do next. Lifting the horn to her lips, she tried to blow into it, but the sound came out flat and empty.

"You weren't paying close enough attention," Malberic chided as he snapped his fingers.

The fire on the east wall torch began to blaze until embers dropped onto the grass. Fire spread across the ground as the grass grew suddenly lifeless and dry under the heat.

Mira watched in horror as the fire encircled where Tanya was standing, and then it raced towards the cage that held Nosedive and Mallory. She tried to run towards them, but the fire blocked her path.

"There must be a way to stop this," Mira said, looking around desperately for a solution.

Malberic waved his hand again, and the flames transformed into waves of dark magic. It leapt up and consumed Nosedive and Mallory until their eyes turned black again.

"The ducks are mine again, and that will be your fate too."

Mira dropped to her knees as she watched him disappear with her friends.

 **You did not choose the correct order for the riddle solution, but you can return to Chapter 19 to try again!**


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

"West, first. This description certainly sounds like a cloud and rain," Mira said as she picked up the tablet that only weighed one stone and carried to the west wall.

The air rumbled around the gray cloud, and suddenly rain began to pour down upon the piles of wood just below the cloud, but no rain fell anywhere else.

"Great, I made it rain," Mira said as she set the tablet down. "How does that help?"

"Doesn't make sense," Tanya said again.

Mira walked back to her and picked up the tablet that needed two stones to balance the scale.

"Well, _bright in the darkness_ sounds like fire."

She turned and walked to the torch on the east wall, but when she set the tablet down below it, nothing happened. So Mira reached out and lifted the torch out of its setting. Slowly, she carried it over to the rain cloud, staring at the wet piles of wood.

"I'll only lose the fire if I try to use it under a rain cloud on wet wood."

"Two…two," Tanya repeated.

Mira shook her head, but she leaned out anyway and laid the burning torch upon the wood. But instead of being quenched by the water, the flames suddenly rose up higher and began to seize the wood with a crackling sound as it grew brighter. Despite the continual rain, only the torch was extinguished while the wood piles burned.

Holding out one hand, Mira caught some of the rain in her hand and as she drew it closer, she realized that it wasn't like the water on earth. This liquid had almost an oily feel to it.

"So that's step two."

Mira walked back to the shelf for the last tablet, and this time only the north wall was left. She reread it as she walked to the table against the north wall.

Kissed in the midst of battle,

I call to loyal hearts and drown the faithless.

Clothed in gold,

I am hard and headless.

But I can swallow a man's breath,

And sing out a warning for miles over the hills.

"Strange description," Mira said thoughtfully. "And there are so many things on this table, but I only see one that could _call_ or _sing_."

Mira picked up the horn. It was a conical shape but twisted in a spiral more than once. I've never blown something like this before, Mira thought as she wondered how difficult it might be. She started to carry it back towards the bonfire when Malberic reappeared directly in her path with a stern expression.

"Stop and consider what you're doing before you take another step."

"Out of my way," Mira said, holding tightly to the horn. "My friends are waiting on me."

"And tomorrow, they'll need you again, and in the end, you'll lose yourself trying to save them."

Mira tried to swerve around him, but he kept blocking her path.

"You don't believe me? Wait until tomorrow… or don't."

"Don't? What's that mean?"

"I offered to let you leave once, and you refused me. Are you still willing to go on and lose everything?"

"You're asking if I want to escape?" Mira said. "No, if I leave, I condemn the ducks to stay trapped with you."

"Those two you won from me… for now," Malberic said, drawing her attention to Nosedive and Mallory. "If you continue trying to save the others, you'll lose your freedom and theirs. But if you surrender now, I'll let you leave with them."

Everything suddenly seemed to come to an abrupt halt.

"You'll let Tanya, Nosedive, and Mallory leave with me… and go back to Earth?"

"No, only the two from the previous challenges. This one is still mine."

The look in Mira's eyes hardened, and she swiftly raised the horn to her lips and drew in a deep breath before releasing it. The sounding of the horn seemed to shatter the thickness of the air, and Mira kept blowing it even when some kind of magic seemed to issue from the horn and mingle with the smoke of the fire. At the mixing of the two, a bright light suddenly filled the air like a sudden flash, and when it faded, Malberic had disappeared. Tanya blinked and adjusted her glasses over her now clear eyes, and the cage collapsed around Mallory and Nosedive.

"Mira, you did it!" Tanya said, giving her a hug.

Mira looked up and saw that the darkness was returning to the sky. And she grabbed Tanya's hand and pulled her along with Nosedive and Mallory.

"Dive, I don't suppose you know where we're supposed to go?" she asked, leading them into the maze.

Nosedive looked around at the different passages.

"Um, think I'm gonna have to pass this time."

"Mira, he didn't get the vision from Wildwing this time," Mallory said. "I did. If you'll trust me."

"You saw the cottage and Wildwing?"

Mallory nodded and said, "I know it was him."

"Okay, so which way? And no pressure, but we have like minutes to spare."

"Why, what…" Tanya began, but Nosedive shushed her as he looked to his other teammate.

Mallory surveyed the passages, and then grabbing the hands of the others while Mira held Tanya's, she led them on at a run. They were several turns they had to make, and each second felt like it might be too late as Mira saw the mist forming overhead.

But just as their legs began to burn from running, they made another turn, and there was the cottage!

"Go! Don't stop!" Mira urged as she pulled them on.

Rushing inside, all of the ducks made it, and Mira stopped just inside the doorframe. She turned, expecting to see Malberic, but he wasn't there. And the mist was sweeping down around the cottage, so she slammed the door.

As she stood with her hands pressed against it, she heard Malberic's voice in her ears … or it was so close, it might have been inside her head.

"I gave you a chance to escape today… you'll get nothing else from me except the reward for your foolishness. Things will not be so easy tomorrow."

Mira closed her eyes and replied in her thoughts, _"Stay out of my way. I won't take any more tricks from you."_ But he seemed to be gone.

Facing the ducks, Mira saw that they were greeting Tanya and explaining where they were. But after a moment, Nosedive turned back to Mira.

"I heard what the elf-dude said to you. Were you really thinking about leaving everyone here, but me and Mal?"

Mira shook her head, but her shoulders slumped.

"No. That's why I blew the horn. I knew I could never leave any of you behind. But I'm ashamed that I even listened to him for that long. He's was just distracting me, trying to make us lose time so the mist would overtake us, and it almost worked."

"So you think it was a lie?" Mallory asked.

"I don't know, and it doesn't matter. I wasn't going to leave Tanya, Grin, Duke, or Wildwing behind."

"Thanks," Tanya breathed, still recovering from their rush to the cottage. "I don't know how long I've been here. It feels like it could have been months, but all I could do was go over those stupid rocks in my head. I worked it out as best I could, but he always kept something from me so I couldn't finish the puzzle."

Mira broke out the food and water from her pack, and she asked Mallory more about what she saw in her vision with Wildwing. Mallory couldn't remember much, except that he had given her a way to find the cottage.

"I talked to him in a dream last night…or early this morning, actually," Mira said, explaining what she had kept from them earlier. "I didn't want to say too much at the time because we needed to get moving."

"What did Wing say?" Nosedive asked.

"He's hiding or evading Malberic somehow," Mira said. "But I'm not sure how he's managed it. And he's trying to help us, but that's all he had time to say."

"Good thing, because we'd be lost without him," Mallory said.

"I wonder if Malberic suspects Wildwing has been helping us," Mira said in a low voice. "And that's why he was angrier today."

"Was he less angry before?" Nosedive asked skeptically.

"Or maybe he just doesn't like that you've rescued half the team," Tanya noted.

"True, but we've still got three more ducks to find," and she remembered Malberic's words about how difficult the next day would be.

"Time to snooze," Nosedive said with a yawn, but as he started to claim one of the only two beds, Mallory and Tanya both protested that he should sleep on a blanket on the table or floor.

Mira felt tired, and yet, she didn't think she could sleep, so she let them argue about the beds amongst themselves.

 _What if Malberic is losing interest in this bargain?_ She thought. _Maybe tomorrow, he'll decide to go back on the whole thing, and make us all his prisoners. Or maybe tomorrow's task really will be impossible for me to complete._

The stone on the pendant around her neck still carried the image of her enslavement with the ducks to the dark elf. Mira felt uneasy, wondering if that fate was still ahead of her.

 **You solved the riddle and successfully helped the ducks reach safety on Day Three!**

 **To begin Day Four, select Chapter 24.**


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

"I'm sure this riddle is talking about fire," Mira said. "So I'll start with the torch on the east wall."

She walked over and lifted the torch from wall. Next she walked to the north wall and selected the horn from the table to match one of the other riddles.

"And last is the west wall," Mira said as she carried the torch and the horn to the wall with the cloud above it.

But as she approached, a strong wind swept down from the cloud and the fire was extinguished on the torch.

"No, wait!" Mira said as she put the horn down and looked for a way to reignite the fire.

But the wind returned, and this time, Mira felt welt drops striking her face and arms. The slow start to the rain became a downpour, so that she was quickly soaked. But it was strange heavy, sticky liquid that hardly felt cool and refreshing like rain.

Mira looked over at Tanya and saw that her blonde hair was being smothered by the dark droplets. And turning to Nosedive and Mallory, she saw that black stuff was running down their faces and their eyes had turned black again.

"You cannot free your friends without the correct use of the fire," Malberic said, shaking his head. "So it appears that I win this day… and all the days after."

 **You did not choose the correct order for the riddle solution, but you can return to Chapter 19 to try again!**


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24 - Day Four

When light began to shine through the slits in the shuttered windows of the cottage, Mira was already awake. The words of the dark elf had haunted her throughout the night, affording little rest. Nosedive had ended up sleeping across a couple of chairs, while Tanya and Mallory slept in the beds. Mallory had tried to get Mira to take one of the beds, but Mira claimed a chair by the wall, only accepting blanket from the bed.

Now that it was morning, she rose stiffly from the chair and tossed the blanket down on Nosedive, who groaned and stirred. Mallory rose swiftly, and Tanya stretched and yawned.

"We should get going," Mira said, handing them some food from the satchel. "Yesterday, we cut things a little close."

Mallory gave Nosedive a shove, and he waved her away as he got up. After a few minutes, they were all ready to go, and Mira led the way outside. The lack of sleep quickly began to weigh upon her, and Mira rubbed her head and neck.

"I should have ordered you to take the bed," Mallory said. "We need you in top condition."

Mira tried to smile as she shrugged.

"I'm not sure it would have helped. All I can think about is wanting to be back on Earth and being afraid that I won't see it again."

"We understand what it's like to feel homesick," Tanya assured her.

"Yeah, it's no party, but we're here for you, Mira," Nosedive added.

Mallory nodded.

"The best thing you can do is put your focus on the mission. The homesickness will get easier to deal with. But don't worry. I believe you'll help get all of us back to Earth."

"Okay," Mira said, straightening up. "Let's go find another duck."

The mood of the small group of travelers brightened as they set off into the maze. Mira tried to move at a brisk pace lest they take too long as they almost did yesterday to find another duck.

But after what felt like just a few hours, while the day was still early, they came to a part of the maze that opened wider. And the grass became more scarce as a bare gray rocky surface was exposed amidst some patches of dirt.

"This can't be it," Mira said in disbelief. "We found it so early in the day."

"It's Duke!" Tanya said as she nodded towards a struggling figure ahead of them, and she started towards him when suddenly vines sprung up from the ground under the black wall and seized her.

More burst out and wrapped around Nosedive and Mallory before they could jump back. All three ducks were jerked against the wall by the vines and bound there, no matter how much they tried to pull free.

"Go on, Mira," Mallory urged. "Go help, Duke."

Mira reluctantly left them behind as she backed away and finally urged her feet into a run to reach Duke. Vines clung to his left arm and legs, but Mira noted that his right hand was free. And he was using it to work on freeing his other limbs.

As she approached, she saw that his good eye was black, and she wondered what enchantment Malberic had cast over him. Expecting him to not know her, she walked right up to him and looked to see what she could do to help free him.

"Don't just stand there, kid," Duke said impatiently. "You gonna get me untied or what?"

"You can see me? Duke, it's Mira."

"Yeah, kinda busy here," he muttered.

"I'll help you," Mira said eagerly as she began to pull on the vines around Duke's left foot. "I was so afraid you would be trapped in an illusion like the others."

To her surprise, the vines around his leg were not as difficult to pull on as she imagined. And a warning that this was too easy swept through her thoughts.

"Once you're free, we'll get the others and get out of here," she said, still trying to sound hopeful.

"I'm not going anywhere," Duke insisted. "Not until I get that diamond over there."

Mira looked up at him in surprise.

"Duke, we're in terrible danger here. No diamond could be worth staying for."

All at once, Duke stopped messing with the vines on his arm, and he pushed her away with his free hand.

"Get out of here then. It's mine to steal anyway."

Mira looked around in confusion, and then she saw that just beyond Duke was a cliff. Daring to peer over the edge, she saw that there was a narrow bridge of rock that passed through the air several feet above a pit of boiling lava and across the bridge, one pillar of rock rose up at an uneven height. A black gem with a shiny, polished surface rested in a cleft on top of the pillar of rock.

Backing away from the edge, Mira looked back at Duke. Now she realized why it felt too easy to pull the vines from him. Malberic wanted him to go after that gem. If the attempt didn't cost Duke his life, she felt certain the gem would only increase the dark elf's power over Duke … much like the food had with Nosedive.

"Duke, listen, there's someone here who's trying to keep us prisoner. Our only chance is if we leave now. That gem doesn't matter."

"Doesn't matter? It's priceless. And I can get it."

Mira stood up and looked around. She felt torn as she saw that Duke would soon break free of his restraints. How could she stop him? And while she stared down at the lava below, an idea occurred to her, but the thought of it made her shudder and feel dizzy.

"Now you see," Malberic said as he appeared on the other side of Duke, but the drake didn't appear to notice him. "You have no hope little mortal, and the only chance open to you is one that makes you sick with fear."

"I'm not giving up," she said, refusing to look at him.

"Why not? Wouldn't it be easier just to let him go?"

He raised his hand, and another vine snapped loose from Duke.

"Stop!" Mira cried out.

"I thought you wanted your friends released?"

Mira clenched her hands, but instead of heading towards Malberic or Duke, she grabbed one of the loose vines and swung down over the cliff. She hung there as she tried to swing her feet upon the bridge of rock below.

But her feet kept swinging too far to the left or the right, and she felt the sweltering heat from the lava fill the air around her. The vine that she was holding onto began to give way, but just as it did, she managed to land on the bridge.

The width of the rock under her feet was just a little larger than her own feet. But as she moved on, it became only wide enough for her to put one foot in front of the other, and Mira feared she would lose her balance and fall.

Yet, as the minutes passed, she managed to keep herself moving and tried to focus on what lay ahead of her. Finally, the rock became wider again as she neared the pillar, which rose up at least six feet above her.

In front of her, there was a set of wooden stairs that rose up before the pillar and would seemingly provide a way to reach the above gem. But the wood was cracked and weathered. Mira wondered if it could be trusted.

There was only one other option though. If she didn't take the stairs, then she would have to follow a narrow ledge of rock around the side of the pillar and climb up the rough and uneven surface of one its sides. If she didn't lose her footing and fall, she should be able to get the gem after managing the climb.

 _I hate heights… and rock climbing_ , Mira thought as her heart beat fast in her chest, and she gazed upon her choices. Looking back at the cliff, she saw that Duke had pulled both arms free of the vines, and now he was working on his legs. He would be free soon, and then she would be out of time.

 **If you want Mira to go around and try to climb up the side of the pillar of rock, click on Chapter 25.**

 **If you want Mira to take the stairs straight ahead and try to reach the gem, click on Chapter 26.**


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

"I really, really don't like heights," Mira said under her breath as she maneuvered her way onto the ledge.

Her hands grasped the rocky surface of the pillar with white knuckles as she felt the world drop away from her and a sudden dizziness set in. But Mira took a deep breath and steadied herself. When she found a place to pull herself up, she raised up and began to search for footholds.

Each time she took a step, Mira felt she was battling her anxiety. Her arms were beginning to hurt from pulling her up, and the shallow footholds she found made slipping seem inevitable.

The only comfort was that she was getting closer to the top. Mira wondered if Duke had managed to free himself yet, but she couldn't see him very well from this position on the rocks, and she was afraid to turn her head too far.

But then, the rock under her left foot gave way, and Mira cried out in terror as she felt herself slide down. Her right hand managed to catch hold of a crevice, but her other hand and her feet could not find anything.

As she dangled above the boiling lava, Mira struggled to find a place for her feet and other hand to latch onto the rocks. But instead, she felt the grip and strength of her right hand and arm weakening.

Malberic appeared on a narrow ledge about two feet above her and gazed down at her with a smile.

"Looks like I'll have to rescue you. But if I save you, that means you forfeit this challenge … and I win."

Mira looked down at the lava as held on to the rocky surface with her aching right hand. She couldn't bear the thought of letting Malberic succeed, but she didn't want to die either.

A sound from her left interrupted her desperate thoughts, and a figure swept down on a line towards her and Mira felt herself being caught in a strong pair of arms. Looking up, she saw Duke's face, and his good eye was clear of any sign of magic. He kicked off from the rocks and swung back over to a place where they could safely climb up.

"You came for me," she said gratefully.

"Always, sweetheart. I gotta remember what matters most here. Sorry if it took me a few minutes to come to my senses."

Mira smiled.

"Just don't ask me to climb over any more lava pits to wake you up, okay?"

Duke nodded and helped her reach the cliff again, and they backed away from the dangerous pit. The black diamond disappeared from its resting place with a dark flash.

Mira turned around and halted warily as she saw Malberic waiting for them with a fierce light burning in his eyes. Duke stepped in front of Mira protectively as he glared at the dark elf.

"Give me back my sabre, and let's settle this between the two of us. You have no right to go askin' my friend here to risk her life for your entertainment."

"Insignificant mortal, how dare you address me with such insolence. You have no voice in this. The girl has chosen to submit to my challenges. I may test her as I wish. And do not worry about her life; it is mine to keep. I can protect her far better than you ever could."

"You've got a strange way of showin' it," Duke said coldly. "But I'm tellin' you this ends now… whatever this is. Fight me, and leave her out of it."

"You wish to challenge me?" Malberic scoffed.

Mira's eyes widened, and she moved out from behind Duke.

"There's no more time for heroics. We need to leave."

But Duke didn't look at her.

"Let me handle this, sweetheart."

"Yes, let us see what happens when you face me alone," Malberic said, sounding rather confident.

Mira grasped Duke's right arm.

"Duke, no! This is what he wants. Please, listen to me."

He hesitated and turned towards her, but she could see he was still eager to fight.

"You said it was important to remember what matters most here," Mira insisted, and she directed his gaze to the other ducks, still held captive by the vines. "Then trust me when I say we have to free the others and get out of here. Or does this creep still hold more power over you than your loyalty to your friends?"

Duke's gaze softened.

"All right, kid. I'll follow you."

Mira smiled, and she led him away from Malberic, who appeared surprised and angry.

"This does not end here! You cannot escape me!"

But Mira kept pulling Duke along with her, and when they reached the others, the vines around the other ducks began to wither and die. It was easy enough to help free them, and Mira looked up to see the sky darkening.

The other ducks brushed the remainder of the vines from their legs as they greeted Duke.

"L'Orange, I thought you were going to let us all down for a moment. But in the end, I guess you can stay true to your teammates."

"Real encouraging, thanks Mallory. Now does someone mind tellin' me where we go from here?"

Mira started to ask if any of them had heard from Wildwing when she felt a rapid force seize her leg and drag her backwards. The ducks ran after her, but Mira caught hold of a rock on the ground and managed to fight being pulled any farther. She looked back to see one of the vines gripping her leg as Malberic walked up.

"There's nothing in our rules that says I can't delay you by whatever means I choose. So it's no good trying to leave just yet."

The ducks reached her and Mallory and Tanya seized her arms as Nosedive tried to pull the vine from her leg. Duke found a rock with an edge to it and tossed it to Nosedive to use. But then he started towards Malberic.

"No, Duke! Don't!" Mira pleaded. "A direct attack won't work. Surely, you can understand that."

As Nosedive started to make progress on the vine, another shot up from the ground and seized Mira's other leg.

"A little help here, Dukester!" Dive shouted.

Duke turned back to them at once, but as he did so, Mira felt her vision suddenly blur and suddenly she couldn't see the ducks anymore. Shadows and darkness surrounded her, and she felt weak and tired. Still laying on the ground, her head rolled from side to side as she tried to wake up.

But as she rolled to one side, Wildwing was there, also lying on the ground. He wasn't wearing his armor, and the Mask was gone. He reached out his hand towards her as if he could not get up, and she crawled over to him.

"Mira, he came for me."

"Wing? What happened? Where's the Mask and your gear?"

"Malberic found me, but I managed to contact you one last time."

"What do you mean?"

"Whatever he's told you about this game of his, it's a lie. You're never going to get a chance to rescue all of us. And I won't last another day to wait for you to find me."

"No, that can't be true. We're almost free. I have Duke now, and tomorrow it's just you and Grin."

Wildwing shook his head as his eyes started to close.

"If you can't find me today, we won't ever meet again. I'm sorry, Mira."

Her vision began to fade again, but Mira tried to seize Wildwing and call out to him. But instead, she opened her eyes and found the four ducks trying to wake her.

"Mira! Look at us," Tanya said, worriedly. "Say something."

But for a moment, Mira still felt limp and drained. She managed to see that her legs were now free from the vines, and Malberic was no where in sight.

"Where is Malberic?"

"He left after you passed out," Mallory said. "Can you sit up?"

They tried propping her up, and Mira found her balance after a moment of leaning upon them.

"What happened, sweetheart? You just blacked out on us," Duke said.

"I saw Wildwing," she said putting her hand to her head.

"You too?" Tanya asked.

"What do you mean? Did he speak to you, Tanya?"

"Yeah, he showed me a way to the cottage through the maze. If you can stand, I think we should get going. That elf-creep managed to delay us longer than we wanted."

"Wait, you mean Wildwing seemed okay when you saw him?"

"Yeah, of course he did."

The ducks helped Mira stand up, and she tried to sort through the confusion in her mind. In one vision, Wildwing seemed fine, and he wanted to them to seek safety. But she had just seen him appearing weak and possibly dying. And he had practically asked her to find him before the day ended.

 **If Mira should let Tanya lead the way, select Chapter 27.**

 **If Mira should follow her own vision and try to find Wildwing before the day ends, select Chapter 28.**


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

"I don't have time to waste," Mira said as she focused her eyes on the stairs. "It doesn't matter how old this wood is. It's still the most direct route."

As she approached the stairs, she looked back and saw that Duke only had one leg left to untangle from the vines. He'd be coming for that diamond any minute now.

Trying to move lightly and quickly, she leapt from one step to the next. It seemed best not to linger long on the steps as they creaked and groaned beneath her.

Looking ahead, Mira saw that the diamond was only about seven more steps away from her as she approached the middle of the stairs. But as she let her foot fall upon the wood under her, it suddenly gave way. And Mira felt her body crash through two of the steps. Her waist and legs became wedged between the broken pieces of wood.

"No, this can't happen now," she groaned as she tried to pull herself out, but each piece of wood that she tried to pull on broke.

Malberic appeared on the steps above her, but they gave no sign of breaking under him.

"Trying to take the easy path?"

"Easy?!" Mira shot back at him with a glare.

"Well, you weren't willing to take enough risks to help your friend."

Mira turned her head enough to see Duke breaking free of the vines, and her breath caught in her throat as he raced towards the narrow bridge over the lava. But Duke's agility and balance were superior to hers, and he moved across it without hesitation.

Upon reaching the other side, he ignored the stairs and began to climb the rock pillar. Mira tried to call out to him, but Duke only said,

"I see now that you only wanted the diamond for yourself. But it's mine, kid!"

Mira worried that he might fall, but Duke managed the climb, and as he reached the top, he seized the diamond and held it up. But as he did so, it seemed to melt and black shiny bands issued from his hands and wrapped around his arms, binding him again. Duke's seemed surprised at first, but then his head bowed and he seemed to lose consciousness.

Like an oily rope, part of the black bands around Duke's arms extended down to Malberic, who caught it as if taking hold of a leash or chain.

"I warned you that you could not succeed today. And this fool, who thought he was defying my will by stealing from me, has fallen right into my trap. It seems you were unable to awaken him."

Mira once again tried to free herself, but this time all of the stairs began to collapse, and she landed on the part of the bridge closest to the pillar. The opposite end of the rock bridge by the cliff began to crumble, and soon only the part she was sitting upon was left.

Malberic reappeared on the cliff with Duke as his prisoner as he looked down on her.

"I'll be taking my ducks and leaving now, but if you decide you want rescuing, just call for me."

 **In this ending, Mira was not able to successfully rescue Duke or the other ducks. But you can go back to Chapter 24 and try a different option.**


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

 _Those visions to the cottage have worked on the other days, and Wildwing would never ask me to endanger the team just for his sake,_ Mira thought to herself.

"We're running out of time. Lead the way, Tanya."

"Are you sure you're ready to go?" Duke asked.

"Yes, definitely," Mira answered, feeling a little stronger all of the sudden. "Let's get moving before time runs out."

Mira ushered Tanya back to the maze as the other ducks followed close behind. Although Tanya knew where to go, they had a long way to travel before reaching the cottage. And as they grew closer, blue carvings began to appear more frequently on the black walls. Tanya kept pausing to study them, but Mira remained restless and impatient.

"Malberic could try something to keep us from reaching the cottage."

Tanya pressed a small edge on the rim of her glasses.

"I modified my glasses so I can capture images with them. We can review these later. They could be important."

"Cool specs, Tanya! Can you make me some shades like that?" Nosedive asked.

Tanya ignored him as she kept taking pictures, and Mira glanced nervously up at the sky.

"Time to move," Mallory said, speaking Mira's thoughts.

Duke and Mallory got Tanya and Nosedive to keep going, and Tanya continued giving directions until they finally reached the cottage.

Mira heard Malberic's voice in her head as she passed through the doorway to the cottage.

" _Clever mortal. You saw through my deception with your friend. But he cannot remain hidden from me. And when I find him, he will suffer for his insolence."_

As the voice faded away, Mira shut the door and kept her thoughts quiet. If only Wildwing could remain safe for another day.

"So this it for the night?" Duke asked, drawing her attention as he looked around at the cottage's two beds and meager table.

"It's not a hotel suite, but it's safe," Mira sighed.

Duke's gaze softened, and he walked over to her and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Thanks again for pulling me outta there, kid. We might be stuck in coach here, but this is the first time things have felt right in…. well, however long we've been here."

"It's been four days, I think," Mira said.

Duke appeared surprised.

"Guess I was more out of it than I thought."

"Well, I'm not sure how many hours in length the days are here. I just watch the sky," Mira said. "The days definitely feel shorter."

Tanya messed with her glasses until she was able to activate a light which projected images from her glasses onto the wall. Mira and the ducks gathered around to look at them.

One of the images showed several figures that reminded them of Malberic as if they formed a large group.

"You say you've never seen anyone else here besides us and Malberic?" Tanya asked.

Mira shook her head.

"There's also a troll," Nosedive said. "But let's not run into anymore of those."

"But perhaps Malberic wasn't always the only dark elf here," Tanya said gesturing to the image.

"So if there were others… what happened to them?" Duke said, voicing the question in all of their thoughts.

Tanya pulled up some of the other images, and they saw a picture of a figure who had a different appearance standing in the midst of the dark elves. In another image, many of the dark elves had fallen, but the other figure was still standing.

"Who do you think that is?" Dive asked. "That dude doesn't seem like an elf."

"No, but it doesn't offer us a lot in terms of answers," Mira said with a sigh. "But maybe tomorrow we'll learn more."

"And find Grin!" Nosedive added.

 **You've helped Mira successfully reach the end of Day Four. Great work! You can pick up the story with Mira and the ducks in Chapter 29 – Day Five.**

 **Please leave reviews!**

 **The feedback is really helpful!**


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Mira walked past the ducks and approached the opening that would lead them back into the maze. Did she even know how to find Wildwing in time to help him? And then with a strange certainty, she knew that yes, she did have an idea of which direction to take.

"Come on, we're always short on time," she said, calling to the other ducks.

As she started leading them down some of the passages, Tanya suddenly stopped, and the other ducks hesitated with her.

"Wait, Mira, this can't be right," Tanya said.

Mira turned on them with an impatient tone.

"We have to stay together. Now let's go!"

"But this isn't the way Wildwing showed..."

"He's in trouble," Mira said, cutting her off. "Wildwing could even be dying. We don't have time to stand here and argue."

"Wing's hurt?" Nosedive asked.

"I'm sorry Dive, but what I saw in my vision just now was not good. Now let's move, so we can get to him."

Nosedive moved to Mira's side as did Duke, but Mallory still remained beside Tanya.

"Are you certain about this Mira? I thought you said there were rules about only finding one of us each day. And Tanya said Wildwing seemed fine in her vision."

"That's my brother out there, Mal," Nosedive added. "What if he needs us?"

"I could never leave Wildwing or Grin out there if I knew their lives depended on us," Mallory said quickly. "But Mira, you were the one who told us we couldn't trust certain things here. What if this is a trap?"

"I know what I saw," Mira insisted. "Are you really going to start doubting me now?"

Mallory and Tanya looked at each other for just a second, and then Tanya walked over to Mira.

"I don't want to risk leaving Wildwing out here if he's in danger," Tanya said.

Mallory sighed and followed Mira and the other ducks, but she couldn't shake her gut feeling that kept nagging her about this decision.

They continued on as Mira led them down several passages. Tanya couldn't help but feel that each one was leading them farther from the direction she thought they needed to go to reach safety.

As they turned a corner, Mira recognized a figure lying on the grass in a wider passage. She and Nosedive rushed over to it, but as they rolled it over, the figure suddenly dissolved like a mist. Malberic stood over them, and a black gate sealed itself across the opening they had just passed through, sealing them and the other ducks inside the room.

"You mortals are so easily manipulated."

"That vision was from you?" Mira said.

"I told you I would use whatever means necessary to delay you. And this little deception worked to my benefit in more than one way."

"What do you mean?"

Malberic waved his hand and a moving image appeared in the black wall to his right. Mira could see Wildwing, the real Wildwing, racing through the mist.

"He knew you hadn't listened to his directions, but he didn't want you to fall into my trap. So he tried to come after you, but that's when he exposed himself to me after his efforts to remain elusive. And now he is my prisoner."

The mist cleared around Wildwing, and the ground beneath him grew soft as the grass and dirt were consumed by black tar that bubbled up from underground. Wildwing became stuck in the tar, and black, sticky tentacles burst up and seized his arms. Then the image disappeared.

"Without you, I could not have drawn him out of hiding," Malberic said with a smile.

Mira could feel the other ducks looking at her in anger, disappointment, and regret, but she couldn't find the words to respond to them.

"Don't worry. They won't remember this is your fault," the dark elf continued.

Looking up, Mira saw that their eyes had turned black and they were under the influence of his power again.

Malberic disappeared and took the ducks with him, leaving Mira trapped in that one room of the maze as an image of Wildwing being captured was carven into the black wall by magic as a reminder of her error.

 **In this ending, Malberic managed to deceive Mira and steal back the ducks in addition to capturing Wildwing. But you can go back to Chapter 25 and follow a different choice to a better ending.**


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29 – Day Five

Submerged in the depths of a heavy sleep, Mira found herself dreaming again.

" _That was close. You almost fell for Malberic's imitation of me," Wildwing said as he appeared to her._

" _He made it seem like you were dying," she protested._

 _Wildwing's expression seemed to soften with understanding, but he shook his head._

" _We're all in danger here, but you have to finish the maze, Mira. You've got to play by his rules for the moment … and not fall into the traps along the way. I'm trusting you to keep our friends safe."_

 _Mira nodded._

" _I know. I'm trying. It's just so easy to mess up."_

" _You're almost there, and I know you can do this," Wildwing said encouragingly._

" _I wish I could find you."_

" _Grin has to come first. I've got my own task to complete while you save him."_

 _Wildwing stepped back as he spoke, and he seemed to grow uneasy._

" _I have to go. He's watching for me. Don't give up, Mira."_

And with those words, Mira lost sight of Wildwing in her sleep, and quickly awoke to see the other ducks beginning to rise. It made her feel better to think that the number of ducks with her increased with each day. The team was almost complete.

"Hey, how'd you sleep?" Duke asked as he walked over to her and helped her up from the bed.

"I'll sleep better when we're back on Earth," Mira sighed. "But it's good to wake up and see you guys."

"Of course, we're not leavin' you," Duke said with a smile.

Mira smiled and nodded, but then she grabbed her pack and started for the door.

"We should get moving and find Grin. It feels like Malberic's making things harder each day."

The ducks followed her out and into the labyrinth. Tanya began to look for more of the markings they had seen the other day, but the black walls of the maze showed no signs of the blue carvings today.

"I just wish I understood more about this place," she said in frustration when all of the walls began to look the same.

"From what I've seen, this Malberic doesn't let much slip past him," Duke said with a grim tone. "He seems to prefer keeping us in the dark."

Mallory walked alongside Mira on the left and put her hand on her shoulder.

"Thanks to Mira, we've made it this far. Just a day or so more, and we'll be back on Earth."

Mira didn't return Mallory's smile or her confidence.

"I just wish so much of this didn't depend upon me. You all are strong, smart, and skilled. You can do so many things that I will never be good at. And yet, I'm the one faced with these challenges."

The ducks grew quiet until Nosedive spoke up and moved to Mira's right side.

"That's not giving yourself enough credit, girly-girl, even if it is pointless to try to match my skills."

The other ducks quickly scoffed at his response.

"Mira, definitely has you beat when it comes to brains," Tanya insisted.

Duke walked up in front of Mira.

"Don't be so hard on yourself, sweetheart. Look at all you've done in rescuing us!"

"Yeah, not just this time, but with the sorceress, too," Mallory agreed.

Mira smiled.

"Thanks, guys. But still, you're the real heroes. Back in Anaheim, I'm the one sitting on the bench, because I'd just be in the way anyplace else."

The ducks exchanged some concerned looks. It was true that they hadn't let her do much when it came to fighting crime or Dragaunus in Anaheim. And Mira was still learning how to skate. They had sometimes joked with her about her clumsiness on the ice, but perhaps it bothered her more than they knew.

"Hey, look," Mallory said, turning to her again. "You don't need to have the same kinds of skills we do to …"

Mira suddenly raised her hand and shushed her.

"No, hear me out," Mallory urged.

But Mira stopped her again and motioned that she wanted to be able to listen. The ducks stopped, and they noticed a faint pounding.

"Do you hear that?" Mira asked.

"It could be Grin," Nosedive said eagerly.

Mira nodded and listened again. The labyrinth had led them into a space with several passages that opened around them, but as Mira listened, she thought she could tell where the sound was coming from.

Leading them on, she followed one path and then another until they reached an opening again. There was no one in sight at first glance, but Mira noted that the ground was entirely different here. A strange kind of dirt was laid bare before them, and as they approached, they found that in the center, there were stones outlining the edge of a pit.

Down within the pit, Grin was moving from side to side, pummeling the walls. A series of different colored doors lined the walls, but no matter how hard he struck them, he remained trapped. Grin's eyes were completely black, and his brow was furrowed in anger and rage.

A strange transparent blue surface covered the top of the pit, and at first, Mira thought it might just be the glow of magic, but as they drew closer, she realized that it was firm yet flexible, like some kind of membrane.

Duke reached out and touched the membrane covering the hole in which Grin seemed trapped. It gleamed under his touch, but it remained solid. Nosedive tried pounding on it, but nothing happened and Grin didn't even seem to hear him.

"Stand back," Mallory said, and she pulled an explosive puck from her utility belt. After pressing the center, she threw it at the membrane. It exploded as it hit, but when the smoke cleared, nothing had changed.

Mira walked forward and reached out to touch it, but as her hand connected with it, it grew soft and her fingers began to pass through it. Mira drew her hand back. When the ducks tried the same thing, it remained firm.

"Looks like it's up to you again," Tanya said.

Mira nodded as she stood up and assessed it again. Duke placed his arm in front of her.

"Hold up, I don't like this."

He pointed to what was happening with Grin in the room below them.

"We've all agreed we're not ourselves when that elf's magic is upon us. If you go down there, kid, what's to stop Grin from throwing his fist in your direction?"

"Nothing, but he's not going to get out of there on his own," Mira said.

Mallory nodded, but she also appeared anxious.

"So what's the plan when you get down there?" Tanya asked.

Mira moved around the edge of the circle. All she could see were the doors and white walls and a white floor. The doors all appeared the same except for being different colors.

"I can't see enough from up here to decide. But I think I've got to help Grin find a way out. I won't be able to reason with him when he's like this. I'll just have to stay low and try to evade his fists while I'm taking a look around."

"We could try to distract him," Nosedive offered.

"You can try, but I don't think he'll hear you," Mira said doubtfully as she prepared herself to go in.

Mallory stepped in front of her and seized one of her hands with a firm grip.

"Don't let your doubts get in the way down there. We believe in you."

Mira smiled gratefully, and the other ducks nodded as she glanced at them. Looking up at the sky, she saw that they were losing time, so she jumped towards the barrier over the pit. Her body passed through it like it was water, except without the getting wet part.

Once she landed, she had to immediately duck as Grin swung his fist towards the door behind her. He didn't appear to see her, but he was still trying to get out.

Mira remained crouched on the floor as she looked around. The ducks were shouting overhead, but Grin didn't heed them. Being closer to the doors didn't seem to offer her any other clues. To avoid being stepped on, she had to keep scrambling to a different part of the floor.

In the midst of the constant distraction of avoiding being struck by Grin, Mira managed to notice that there were six doors. Each was a different color: red, blue, purple, green, orange and yellow.

As she kept moving around on the floor, she noticed that her hands passed over strange grooves and indentations that made the surface of the floor uneven.

"Grin, please calm down!" she pleaded, as he nearly stepped on her again, but he didn't hear or notice her.

Fleeting thoughts passed through Mira's mind as she realized she would have to make a hasty decision. _I can either try for some of these doors, or I can try to find another way out of here. Something odd is going on with this floor. But I have to decide quickly!_

 **If you think Mira should try the doors, select Chapter 30.**

 **If you think Mira should investigate the floor, select Chapter 31.**


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Whatever puzzle might be hidden in the floor, Mira didn't think she had time to figure it out, but perhaps it was at least worth trying the doors. But which one should she try?

 _I just have to decide quickly_ , Mira thought, feeling a sense urgency building within her. There was no difference between them except for the colors, so Mira finally settled on a ridiculous idea. _I'll just try the one that's my favorite color_.

 **Okay, reader, you're standing in for Mira. What is your favorite color? (Or as close as you can get with the options provided.)**

 **Blue Door – Chapter 32**

 **Red Door – Chapter 33**

 **Green Door – Chapter 34**

 **Orange Door – Chapter 35**

 **Yellow Door – Chapter 36**

 **Purple Door – Chapter 37**

 **Choose wisely!**


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

If this was another riddle like with Tanya's situation, then Mira would have to pause and take time to figure things out. She couldn't just assume that the doors would provide a way out. After all, Grin had been pounding on them this whole time.

Mira tried to back out of the center of the floor, so she could get a better look at it, but she couldn't go very far as the bottom of the pit was rather small. And Grin kept stomping over different parts of the tiles, while nearly running her over.

"These tiles have to mean something. Maybe if I try pushing on them," she said to herself.

She tried pressing down on certain ones, and then she searched the grooves around them. But as Grin plunged against another door, Mira saw that his heavy footfalls were damaging some of the tiles. Perhaps what she had thought were intentional markings were actually only parts of accidental wreckage.

Suddenly Grin came thundering towards the door just behind her, and Mira darted to one side, but one of his feet still managed to catch her arm, and his weight landed against her wrist. Mira cried out in pain, and when Grin moved to charge another door, she drew her wrist closer. It was at least sprained if not broken, and it hurt horribly.

She drew herself into a sitting position along the wall, but before she could stand up, Grin was turning back as if to run in her direction again. This time she feared that he would hit her more directly.

Trying to move out of the way, she struggled up, but Grin was already coming. And Mira closed her eyes out of instinct, expecting the collision, but it didn't come. When she opened her eyes, Malberic stood between her and Grin, who was frozen in place.

"I don't suppose I need to tell you that this is going to end badly. You didn't choose correctly."

Mira glanced at the doors which were now vanishing, leaving only walls surrounding them.

"So it was about the doors after all," she sighed.

Malberic smiled.

"Sometimes the simplest solution is the best one. Not everything is a complex puzzle."

"My day isn't over," Mira said. "I still have more time to try to wake him up."

"No, I fear you don't. If I let this resume, this will only end with your friend continuing to hurt you …possibly even kill you."

"So wake him up!" Mira protested. "It's your fault he can't see me."

"That's not how the game works. You must be the one to awaken him. But if he has to awaken to the sight of how he's harmed you…"

Malberic gestured to her wrist.

"Do you believe that's going to offer him any kind of relief?"

"So what can I do?" Mira asked.

"You can surrender."

"And then everyone becomes your prisoners again," Mira said angrily.

Malberic laughed.

"They have never ceased to be my prisoners." He gestured to the ducks above them, and Mira saw that their eyes were filled with darkness. "Remember you haven't won our game, and thus won their freedom, until you have all of them."

Mira leaned back against the wall wearily, and Malberic drew closer. He took hold of her injured arm and wrist, but his grasp was not painful.

"I will mend this for you. And you will see that I will not treat you cruelly. When you are mine in just a day or so, you will learn to accept it with relief. This freedom you prize so dearly requires you fight with such unnecessary desperation. But I can help remove that burden."

Mira felt her own vision darkening as he held her arm. So this was what it was like to fall under his power? She knew she ought to resist, but she didn't feel able to do so.

Malberic observed her with a smug expression.

"I will leave you now, and spare you the further pain of trying to deal with your friend. He's mine now anyway … as are the others."

 **In this ending, Mira was unable to get rescue Grin and the other ducks. Malberic put them back under his spell and whisked them away. But because of her own failure, Mira will also lose her freedom when time runs out in a day or so. Go back to Chapter 29, and you can change the story.**


	32. Chapter 32

Mira rose up and darted for the BLUE door.

 **Are you certain of your choice? This is your favorite color, right?**

 **If you wish to continue, select Chapter 38.**

 **If you wish to go back, select Chapter 29.**


	33. Chapter 33

Mira rose up and darted for the RED door.

 **Are you certain of your choice? This is your favorite color, right?**

 **If you wish to continue, select Chapter 38.**

 **If you wish to go back, select Chapter 29.**


	34. Chapter 34

Mira rose up and darted for the GREEN door.

 **Are you certain of your choice? This is your favorite color, right?**

 **If you wish to continue, select Chapter 38.**

 **If you wish to go back, select Chapter 29.**


	35. Chapter 35

Mira rose up and darted for the ORANGE door.

 **Are you certain of your choice? This is your favorite color, right?**

 **If you wish to continue, select Chapter 38.**

 **If you wish to go back, select Chapter 29.**


	36. Chapter 36

Mira rose up and darted for the YELLOW door.

 **Are you certain of your choice? This is your favorite color, right?**

 **If you wish to continue, select Chapter 38.**

 **If you wish to go back, select Chapter 29.**


	37. Chapter 37

Mira rose up and darted for the PURPLE door.

 **Are you certain of your choice? This is your favorite color, right?**

 **If you wish to continue, select Chapter 38.**

 **If you wish to go back, select Chapter 29.**


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38

Mira managed to grasp the handle of the door as Grin's fist swung over her head. She pulled, and the door flew open easily, thrusting her back with it, but before she could move to enter, Grin rushed through the opening. Mira chased after him.

The bright light of the former room seemed to vanish instantly, and the air grew cool as the door disappeared. Only one dim light remained overhead, and gleaming surfaces covered all the walls until they were surrounded. And then the gleaming surfaces materialized into tall mirrors.

Grin now stood still in the center of the room, no longer trying to run or fight. Mira turned and tried to get his attention by shaking his arm. But he didn't respond, and Mira was distracted as images began to appear in the mirrors around them.

But these were not reflections of her or Grin. These were ducks from Puckworld, ones that she had never met. As if watching a strange movie in brief spurts of pictures, she saw ducks playing hockey, demonstrating their fighting skills, and skating with grace and skill.

Mira stepped away from Grin and walked towards the mirror directly ahead of her. Suddenly the images in the mirror seemed to become aware of her, and they shot disparaging looks in her direction. Some of them even pointed and scoffed.

" _Help from a human?"_ the scornful phrase filled her mind even though she could not make out audible voices. She watched as they skated away from her, and her abilities seemed so small and pitiful compared to what they could do.

Mira's vision was becoming hazy, but their disdain seemed to paralyze her. And she felt that she might collapse, but just as she started to weaken, she heard Wildwing's voice cut through her thoughts with strange clarity,

 _Mira! Mira, what's happening? Where's Grin?_

His voice slipped away from her as she suddenly awoke with the sensation that like that of cold water striking her face. Turning from the mirrors on the walls, Mira saw Grin falling upon his knees in the center of the room.

"Grin! Grin, can you hear me?" she asked as she darted in front of him and put her hands on his shoulders.

His eyes were still black, and his face had the expression of someone who is lost without hope.

"Grin, please, come back to me," Mira begged. "I don't know what I'm doing here, but I'm not going to leave you. Please, help me."

She leaned closer and wrapped her arms around him. And suddenly, she felt his arms hugging her back. Leaning back and looking in his face, Mira saw that his eyes were clear.

"You doubted yourself, little friend," his deep voice said.

Mira nodded, but before anything else could be said, the roof over them began to crumble, and light streamed in as part of it collapsed. Grin and Mira stepped back, and the other ducks looked down at them from the opening.

"There you are!" Mallory said, sounding relieved.

"Hey, it's starting to get darker up here!" Nosedive warned.

Grin lifted Mira up towards them, and Duke and Mallory pulled her out. Grin pushed some of the larger rubble of the ceiling beneath one of the edges of the opening, and then he reached up to grab the edge. Duke and Nosedive strained to help him out the rest of the way.

Mira looked around and saw that based on the speed of the fading light, the mist would begin consuming the maze at any moment.

"We have to go. I shouldn't have taken so long," she said anxiously.

"But which way?" Tanya asked. "None of us got any messages from Wildwing."

Glancing around at the different paths offered by the maze, Mira clenched her fists and shook her head.

"We have to go now. Just follow me."

She took off at a run, and the ducks followed her. Just a few yards back into the labyrinth, Mira was still running when faced with a decision. The passage forked with one road leading the left and one leading to the right.

 **You'll have to guide Mira and the ducks to the cottage this time. Ready?**

 **Go left, select Chapter 39.**

 **Go right, select Chapter 40.**


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39

"Go to the left!" Mira told the ducks as the choice was made in an instant.

Mira and the ducks hurried around several other corners in the passage as she began to think there were a strange number of turns in this passage. It forced them move in a zig-zag pattern.

When they finally came around one turn, Mira had to stop abruptly. The ducks drew up to a halt just inches behind her.

A wall of sheer black marble rose up before them, creating a dead end in the passage. There was no way forward.

"We'll turn around and go back the way we came," Mallory said. "The other passage must have been the way to go."

But as they started to go back through the passage, the black walls around them began to hum with a strange vibrating noise. Suddenly the panels of the maze started to move and shift. But instead of opening up more passage for them to run through, it seemed to do more to cut them off from the way they wanted to go.

"Not cool, man!" Nosedive shouted.

"He's not going to let us get back to the right path in time," Mira realized as she looked up at the sky.

"We can't give up," Mallory insisted. "Grin, is there anything you can do?"

Grin caught sight of one moving wall and rushed over to it. He seized one edge of it with his hands and tried to push it out of their way in the opposite direction. But as his feet pressed into the ground, the wall kept moving, and it became clear that it was moving him instead of the other way around. And it was moving him towards a perpendicular wall.

"Grin, get out of there before you're pinned!" Duke called out as he and Mira hurried over to Grin.

They drew him away from the wall though he seemed resistant to giving up.

"I chose the wrong way!" Mira said with fear in her gaze as the mist appeared over the top of the wall.

It came cascading down upon before the ducks could respond, and then Malberic was there as she lost sight of the ducks.

"You couldn't even give us a chance to take the other path?" Mira demanded.

"I'm giving you one more day. That's generous enough."

Mira looked around, and it seemed the ducks were gone.

"But you've taken my friends after I worked so hard to free them."

"Try to get them back if you wish. I'll let you see what you can make of the last day of this challenge."

 **You were not able to guide Mira and the five ducks to the cottage for the fifth day, so if you want to go back and try again to help Nosedive, Mallory, Tanya, Duke, and Grin reach the cottage and rest in safety, then return to Chapter 38.**

 **However, if you want to see how Mira fares on Day 6 after this experience on Day 5, then select Chapter 46.**


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter 40

"To the right!" Mira called back to the ducks as she kept running and turned right. She glanced back once to make sure that all five ducks were still with her, and she was relieved to see them all keeping right behind her.

As she ran down what felt like a long passage, Mira found that it was mostly straight and only contained a few turns. But as they came around one of the turns, she saw another fork where she would have to choose.

Looking up, Mira saw the sky starting to get very dark, and she thought she could see mist beginning to form above them. Mira looked ahead of them. She didn't have time to pause. She would have to make her choice as she ran and just keep going.

This time she noticed that the ground of the passages was not marked by the usual grass that seemed to cover a lot of the maze. The ground in one passage was covered with stones, perhaps not smooth, but not jagged or large either. Taking that passage would just mean they'd have to watch their footing a bit more.

The other passage contained some grass, but there were also large bluish-black puddles on the ground. Mira had not felt any rain, so it seemed strange for the ground to covered in water, especially in only one part of the maze.

But both passages were strange. Yet, she had to take one, but which one?

 **Keep going! And remember to choose quickly!**

 **Take the passage marked by the stones, select Chapter 41.**

 **Take the passage strewn with puddles, select Chapter 42.**


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter 41

"Follow the stones!" Mira called back to the ducks as she ran forward. Without halting, she continued on, and she again glanced back to see them following her.

Mira remembered other parts of the maze where she had walked on stones or a rocky surface in her challenges in freeing the ducks, so this felt like a more familiar path to take.

As they entered the passage, Mira had to pay more attention to where her feet were landing on the stones. It would be easy to trip here, but most of the stones were flat enough to cross without too much difficulty.

To Mira's surprise, the stones didn't actually last very long either, just around a turn, they reached grass again, but as they made the turn, Nosedive's foot caught the edge of a rock, and he stumbled forward into Mira, knocking her to the ground with him. The other ducks were instantly there to pull them both up.

"Sorry, Mira," Nosedive said, breathing heavily.

"It's okay," she panted, but then she looked up and saw mist sweeping down into the part of the maze behind them.

Mira's eyes widened as she grabbed Nosedive's arm and began to run again.

"Go, hurry!" she called to the other ducks.

As they ran on, they came to a part of the maze that suddenly split off into three passages.

"I don't have time for this," Mira said angrily, when she saw another choice ahead of her.

But instead of there just being open sky above the passages, Mira saw a black arch the entrance to each. On one arch, a crown appeared to be carved in blue shapes. On another arch, there was a blue tower rising above shapes like trees. And on the last arch, carved hands reached out for a blue orb of light.

"What are these supposed to mean?" Tanya asked as they approached them.

"No time to stop and figure it out!" Mallory protested. "Just pick one, Mira!"

Mira stared up at her choices as she ran towards them.

 **You're almost there! But time is running out!**

 **Take the passage marked by the crown, select Chapter 43.**

 **Take the passage marked by the tower, select Chapter 44.**

 **Take the passage marked by the orb, select Chapter 45.**


	42. Chapter 42

Chapter 42

Fearing that the stones would slow them down, Mira chose the path marked by the puddles. "This way!" she called to the ducks. "And try to stay on the grass!"

Mira wondered if the puddles might be more of an obstacle than they seemed, so she tried to keep her feet on the grass as they raced down the passage. As they made a few turns, the puddles grew larger, and they were harder to avoid.

Even the grass was beginning to feel soggy and less firm under her feet, but Mira knew there wasn't time for her to second-guess her choice. Yet, soon the journey down this passage was turning into a game of hopscotch as Mira had to almost jump to avoid the puddles.

She heard Tanya cry out from behind her, and Mira stopped and turned to see that the dark liquid of one puddle had seized Tanya's legs and was pulling her down into it, like some form of oily quicksand with tentacles.

"No!" Mira called out, but Grin was already trying to pull Tanya free.

Black tentacles rose menacingly from another puddle and wrapped around him. Mira started to run back to both of them, but something struck her with a hard force and thrust her back.

Mira landed on the grass and realized that Mallory had pushed her away. The bluish-black liquid was expanding, and it had seized all of the ducks.

"Go on, get out of here!" Mallory urged, holding onto a tuft of grass as she lay on the ground. "Maybe you can still get away."

Then it sucked the ducks down below its surface, and Mira looked up to see the mist coming down upon all sides of the labyrinth.

"No, you can't do this! I make one mistake, and they all have to pay for it!" Mira shouted up at the mist.

Malberic appeared before her as everything else seemed to disappear.

"Yes, often the price for our decisions is greater than we know. But your noble attempts to help your friends spared them some moments of freedom from my magic. Just think, if you hadn't tried to help them at all, they wouldn't even have had that."

Mira rose to her feet, glaring at him.

"I'm not giving up. I still have one day left."

"One day to continue to be lost," Malberic sneered. "But you're right. You have one more day. I'll let you see what you can make of it."

 **You were not able to guide Mira and the five ducks to the cottage for the fifth day, so if you want to go back and try again to help Nosedive, Mallory, Tanya, Duke, and Grin reach the cottage and rest in safety, then return to Chapter 40.**

 **However, if you want to see how Mira fares on Day 6 after this experience on Day 5, then select Chapter 46.**


	43. Chapter 43

Chapter 43

"We'll take the crown passage!" Mira called to the ducks.

As they ran forward through the labyrinth, the space between the walls seemed to be closing in on, but just as Mira was beginning to feel claustrophobic, the space began to widen again. They ran out into a larger area and froze in their tracks.

"What is that?!" Duke exclaimed.

Mira stared at a mass of blue and purple spikes that jutted out from boulders. Their path through this maze might as well have been blocked by mountains, for that's what these appeared to be in miniature scale. And those spikes made them seem impassable.

"Yo, maybe there's still a way over them," Nosedive said as he kept going forward.

He started to climb up the obstacle, but the part under one of his feet gave way, and in an attempt to steady himself, his arm flailed back and was pierced by one of the spikes.

The other ducks helped him back to the ground, and Mira took a look at his arm. Nosedive winced.

"Think I need a supersized band-aid."

"You need more than that," Mira said sadly. "And we can't risk trying to climb over this death trap."

The mist swept up behind them, and Mira tried to hold onto Nosedive's arm as it came upon them. The ducks remained in view even through the haziness of the mist, but suddenly all of their eyes turned black with Malberic's enchantment.

"No!" Mira shouted. "Give me one more chance! I have one more day!"

"Yes, you do," Malberic said as he walked into view. "But you must see now that you can't win."

"But you will let me have the last day to try?" Mira asked.

"I'll be taking these ducks with me, but you can try to get them back if you wish."

Mira looked down at Nosedive's bleeding arm, which she was still holding.

"Will you at least do something for his wound? Or let me bandage it?"

Malberic sneered and waved his hand at the young duck. Instantly, the wound was healed.

"Only because I want to keep him as a prisoner for a while longer, but do not think I will spare their lives when I tire of them."

"No, I know you don't care for any of us. Your cruelty has made that clear."

An unpleasant smile appeared on Malberic's face.

"You need not worry about your own life. I may tire of these feathered beasts, but I preserved my last human prisoner until death took her due to the mortality that has cursed your race. I could spare her from much, but not the ravages of time."

"That is _not_ reassuring," Mira said coldly.

"Still, it is your fate to spend the rest of your life with me," he gloated. "Tomorrow you will understand this."

 **You were not able to guide Mira and the five ducks to the cottage for the fifth day, so if you want to go back and try again to help Nosedive, Mallory, Tanya, Duke, and Grin reach the cottage and rest in safety, then return to Chapter 41.**

 **However, if you want to see how Mira fares on Day 6 after this experience on Day 5, then select Chapter 46.**


	44. Chapter 44

Chapter 44

"We'll follow the tower," Mira said as she ran under the arch way marked by that symbol. Perhaps it represented the shelter they so desperately needed to find.

As they ran on, Mira and the ducks had to run around a few turns in the passage, but as they ran out from around one such corner of the passage, Mira felt her steps slow as a strange sight met her gaze.

In the hazy distance, Mira thought she could see the dark outline of the small cottage, but between them and their shelter was a massive gorge that cut through the entirety of this part of the labyrinth. As Mira cautiously approached the edge, she stared down into darkness, unable to see the bottom.

"It's gotta be at least forty feet across," Tanya said as the ducks approached it.

"Dude, if we had our gliders, we could do this," Nosedive said.

Mira glanced at the ducks, and she could see from their faces that they didn't believe they could jump the distance. Turning around, she saw the mist pouring through the passage behind them.

"Maybe if we got enough speed with our skates…" Mallory considered.

"How's Mira going to get across then?" Duke asked.

"It doesn't matter," Grin interjected as he saw the mist. "We are out of time."

Mira turned and reached for them, but as the mist closed in, they disappeared, and Malberic stood before her. The mist covered the gorge until it and the cottage vanished too.

"We would have made it except for the gorge," Mira protested angrily.

"Ever ready with an excuse, aren't you? You chose the wrong passage, and that is your own failing."

"Then make me pay for it and not the ducks!"

"You will … if you lose tomorrow's challenge," Malberic said. "Which you will. But as I told you from the beginning, those ducks are mine."

 **You were not able to guide Mira and the five ducks to the cottage for the fifth day, so if you want to go back and try again to help Nosedive, Mallory, Tanya, Duke, and Grin reach the cottage and rest in safety, then return to Chapter 41.**

 **However, if you want to see how Mira fares on Day 6 after this experience on Day 5, then select Chapter 46.**


	45. Chapter 45

Chapter 45

"The orb!" Mira shouted as she ran for the third passage. The ducks followed her, and Mira could feel a breeze picking up behind them as if the mist was trying to rush down upon them.

As Mira led the ducks under the archway, the ground began to slope downwards, and Mira had to run faster to keep from falling. But the slope was growing so steep that eventually she and the ducks lost their balance and began to tumble down a hill.

When they finally landed, Mira pushed herself up and put her hand to her head as she looked ahead of them.

"The cottage!" she called out with sudden joy.

The ducks drew themselves up, and Mira looked back to see the mist starting to chase them down the slope of the hill.

"Come on, we're almost there!" she said.

The ducks began to run with her again. Mira's limbs were sore with the fall down the hill, but she pushed herself to move as fast as she could. Reaching the cottage door, she yanked it open, and shouted for the ducks to go in first.

The mist had cascaded down the hill, and it was rushing upon them as the last of the ducks ran into the cottage. Mira started to follow, but she looked back and saw that her right foot was caught in some kind of black mire bubbling up from the ground.

"You can't do this to us when we're so close," she said, thinking of Malberic, as she struggled to pull free.

Grin's massive hand and arm reached around the door as his body stood in the doorframe with his other hand gripping the door post. He grasped her arm and pulled. Mira felt her foot slip from the mire just as the mist swept up to the cottage. Grin pulled her inside, and Duke jerked the door shut behind her.

They all stood breathing heavily inside the dim cottage, and Mira leaned into Grin. He was still holding onto her, and she felt like she would collapse if he let go.

"That was too close," Mira said wearily.

"But we made it," Duke said with a smile. "Thanks for taking the lead there, Mira."

Grin gently released her, and Mira sat down in one of the chairs, still feeling mentally and physically exhausted. She looked down and saw that her right foot was missing its shoe.

"Hey, what happened there?" Mallory asked.

"Malberic tried to prevent me from getting inside. He sent some muck to latch onto my foot at the end there. Thanks for pulling me free, Grin."

"The bond of friends is stronger than evil," Grin said calmly with a slight smile.

"Yeah, well, evil owes me a shoe," Mira said with a laugh.

Duke looked around the cottage, which seemed to be the same size as the night before, but it felt smaller with more ducks in it, especially when one of them was Grin.

"I'd say we're also owed a few more beds," he said, seeing that there were still only two beds available.

"This Malberic is a sore loser, man," Nosedive said.

"Well, Mira gets one of them," Mallory insisted. "Maybe the rest of us can flip a coin for the other."

Grin sat down on the floor in a meditative posture, abstaining from the debate. Mira felt too tired to argue, so she climbed over into one of the beds. Duke was telling either Mallory or Tanya to take the bed, and Nosedive moaned about having a stiff neck. But Mira fell asleep before she could hear the final decision.

 **You've helped Mira successfully reach the end of Day Five. Great work! You can pick up the story with Mira and the ducks in Chapter 49. This will take you to Day Six, the last day of this story.**

 **Please leave reviews!**

 **The feedback is really helpful!**


	46. Chapter 46

Chapter 46 – Day Six

The ground was hard and cold beneath her, yet somehow Mira slept for a few hours as she waited for light to return to the sky. She missed the warm shelter of the cottage, and never had she felt so alone as she did at this moment.

After failing to guide the ducks through the labyrinth yesterday … and losing them, Mira had wished to see Wildwing in her dreams. Perhaps there was some way to make things right, but her dreams had been empty and lonely, just as she felt now, waking up in the gray light.

Yet, as she sat up, Mira opened her eyes and saw someone walking towards her out of the mist that had hovered around her since yesterday. She expected to see Malberic again, but this person wasn't shaped like him at all. As it came closer and the mist started to part for it, Mira's face brightened and she stumbled to her feet, rushing forward.

"Wildwing!"

But just a few feet before him, she stopped. It certainly looked like Wildwing, and he was even wearing the Mask. But what if this was a trick? Malberic had tried to deceive her once before with regards to Wildwing.

"It is me, Mira," he said, as if guessing her doubts. He removed the Mask and let her see his face. He looked very tired and sad. The pain she saw in his eyes stung her heart with sorrow and regret.

"Last year, you had to help me recover the Mask before we could all go back to Earth," he continued. "I'm afraid this time is going to be different."

"I'm so sorry," Mira said. "I failed you. I tried not to lose the others, but I…"

"I know," Wildwing assured her as he stepped closer and put one hand on her shoulder. "It's not your fault. Malberic set us up to fail here. And it wasn't right for you to carry all of that pressure alone."

Mira felt relieved that he didn't blame her, but she still blamed herself.

"And it wasn't right for you to risk your own freedom for ours," Wildwing added.

She looked at him in surprise.

"You know about my deal with Malberic?"

He nodded as he took his hand from her shoulder.

"How?" Mira asked.

"I've been doing some reconnaissance while you were facing Malberic's labyrinth, so I've found out a couple of things. For instance, I know where he's keeping the rest of my team."

Mira looked up at him with a hopeful glance.

"You know how to get to the other ducks?"

"Yeah, are you up for one more challenge?" Wildwing asked.

"Of course," Mira said eagerly.

He smiled and motioned for her to follow him. Wildwing led her through fading mist, and as Mira looked around, she realized that the black walls of the labyrinth were not anywhere in sight.

"So this whole time, you've been able to evade Malberic," Mira asked. "Are you going to tell me how?"

"I had a gift from Borg. A small stone that helped me resist Malberic's spells. Unfortunately, it only works for one individual at a time. I couldn't use it to protect the whole group."

"You've been carrying it with you? Can I see it?"

Wildwing kept walking and didn't meet her gaze.

"I had to put it aside to come and see you."

"But what if Malberic comes after you now?" Mira said with some concern. "He's been watching me. He has to know you're here."

"He's busy keeping our friends locked up," Wildwing answered. "Don't worry about me."

Mira didn't feel completely satisfied with that answer, but he didn't seem willing to discuss the subject further.

"So where are we going?" she asked.

"He has a castle just a few more miles in this direction. We'll have to get our friends out of there."

"And then what? How are we going to get back to Earth without magic?"

"One step at a time, Mira. Let's rescue the others before we worry about that, okay?"

"Sure, Wing."

A little while later, Mira realized they were reaching the crest of a hill as the land and the mist sloped down behind them. When they reached the top, she was able to look back down at a vast valley.

"That was the space he manipulated for the labyrinth," Wildwing explained. "He could make whatever he wanted appear down there. But here's his castle."

Mira turned around and saw a dark castle in the distance on the other side of the hill. There were three tall towers striking out towards the sky with sharp, spire like projections.

"I don't suppose you know of a way to sneak in?" Mira asked.

Wildwing met her gaze this time, and she still caught a glimpse of the sadness she had seen when they met earlier.

"Look, Mira, before we go in, there's something you need to understand."

"Yeah, there's something wrong here besides just rescuing our friends," she said when he hesitated. "I can see it in your eyes. What is it, Wildwing?"

He sighed.

"There's a lot that's wrong with this place. But here's what you need to know, Malberic is still counting this as a challenge, a test, for you. Don't ask me how I know. I just do. So there may be some things here that I can't help you with …no matter how much I want to."

"You mean if I get this right, we can go home, but I don't, then I'm back to being a failure …one that costs everybody their freedom."

Wildwing shook his head.

"Don't think of it that way. The moment you offered to sacrifice your freedom to try to save us, that was the moment you won a victory for us. The only one you can fail here is yourself in this test to win your own freedom."

"And everyone else's," Mira added grimly.

"You're defeating the purpose of my speech," Wildwing said as he turned away again. "Anyway, I'll help you when I can, starting with getting into the castle."

Mira nodded and followed him down the hill. A gloomy haze surrounded the base of the massive structure, so if it hadn't been for Malberic's magic, Mira would have felt well-hidden by it. But she suspected he was watching them and was aware of their movements.

Wildwing led her to a tree behind the castle that had thick branches stretching to an open window.

"You realize how suspicious that looks," Mira said, skeptically.

"Doesn't matter how it looks. What we need is a way inside," Wildwing said. "Come on, I'll give you a boost."

Mira let him lift her up, so she could reach one of the lower-hanging branches. She had never been much of a tree-climber, but the large branches of this tree made it possible for her to find a way up. Wildwing climbed up after her, and it wasn't long before they both made it inside the window.

Once inside, they stood in a room with disheveled piles of straw on the stone floor. It was otherwise empty, and Mira crept to the door and looked out into an empty hall.

"I don't see anyone," she whispered back to Wildwing.

"There shouldn't be much to see," he said, keeping his voice low, but not whispering. "Malberic doesn't keep any guards."

"Do you know which part of the castle he's keeping the other ducks in?" Mira asked.

Wildwing nodded.

"We need to head towards the east tower."

They passed through a long corridor, and Wildwing opened a door to the stairwell of the east tower. He entered without waiting for Mira, and when she tried to hurry up and follow after him, she noted with surprise that he was no where in sight.

"Wildwing?"

Mira looked up at the stairs spiraling up the tower, but she didn't see him. She walked up one set of stairs before coming to a room set aglow with candlelight. Pausing in the frame of the door, she peered inside, and her eyes widened in surprise.

The light of the candles gleamed upon a wealth of gold. Coins, dishes, candlesticks, and decorations, all of it made of gold. Precious stones also glinted in the warm light, and colorful silks were draped across chairs and tables. Mira had never seen anything like this before in her life.

"Why not take a closer look?"

She started and turned to see Malberic standing right behind her, blocking her way out of the room. Mira instinctively stepped away from him, but he continued to stand in the doorway, which she now desired to pass through.

"Malberic, I…" she stammered. "I was just…"

He folded his arms, looking rather smug.

"You are looking for the ducks, I know. Do you really think I haven't known this whole time?"

"No, I suspected you knew. And you'll try to stop me now, but I have to keep going."

"They're just a bit higher in the tower," he said calmly. "You can go on if you wish, but you must have stopped here for a reason."

"I was just distracted, but I want to go now, so if you'll just move…"

"I feel I must apologize to you, my dear," he said, stepping farther inside the doorframe, but still not moving out of the way. "Being immortal, I often seek unusual forms of amusement to save myself from boredom. And I have enjoyed this game of ours, but I acknowledge that it must also have seemed cruel to you at times."

" _Seemed_ cruel?" Mira asked angrily. "That doesn't even begin to cover it."

"Then you will be relieved that it is almost at an end. And as a means of atoning for the way I've treated you, I'd like to offer you a gift from this room."

Mira listened with surprise, and she fell silent.

"You can see that I have many wonderful treasures here. There must be something here that would suit you."

"Freeing my friends would suit me," Mira said cautiously. "That's all I want. So let me pass."

Malberic's expression grew more solemn.

"Have you never learned that it is rude to refuse a gift from your host?"

Mira stared back at him unfazed.

"I know the rule about not accepting gifts from strange men …or dark elves in this case. Just let me have my friends, and let us go. That's the only gift I want."

"So eager to rush back to your little world. Do you really have something so wonderful to run back to?"

"It's my home," Mira scoffed.

"And what does that mean? If you live anywhere for a long enough period of time, it can become a home. For instance, if you stayed here with me, this could be your home."

Mira grew quiet again. She didn't like the direction this was going. A few sharp replies popped into her head, but she didn't want to make him too angry. She still had to get to the ducks.

"It's true that I've made things rather miserable for you here so far, but that's just how the labyrinth works. Everything would be different if we were allies instead of opponents."

"Allies? I thought you wanted me to be your prisoner," Mira said.

"I just wanted you to stay here with me. It's far too lonely in this world on my own. I'm a king here, but if you agreed to stay, you could be a queen."

"That wasn't exactly on my life goals list," Mira said. "And I can't stay. I have to go back with the ducks."

Malberic waved his hand, suddenly, Mira could see through the floors above her. Tanya, Mallory, Grin, Nosedive, and Duke were visible in a room in the tower just a little way above them. A bright light like a portal began to open up in the room where they stood.

"Your friends can return to Earth now," he said. "I'm letting them go. They've served their purpose."

"But I thought I had to find them and rescue them first," Mira said with some confusion.

"The game continues until I decide to end it," he explained. "And I'll decide to end it if you agree to stay with me."

Mira looked back at him. This was a conditional offer?

Walking over to the table, but not stirring too far from the doorway, Malberic picked up a golden circlet from the table that was set with tiny white gems. He held it out to her.

"If you return to Earth, you'll just be another human amongst millions. And the ducks will push you aside. You know you're not one of them. But if you stay here, you can rule by my side. We'll bring life back to this planet, and you'll never want for anything again."

The circlet shone in his hands, and his words stirred a desire for influence and power that she didn't know existed within her. Would this also be the way to save the ducks? How could she save them if she refused his offer?

 **Help Mira make her choice.**

 **If Mira should accept Malberic's offer, select Chapter 47.**

 **If Mira should refuse Malberic's offer, select Chapter 48.**


	47. Chapter 47

Chapter 47

Mira stared at the circlet as the beating of her heart quickened in her chest. Perhaps this was the way to avoid the complete failure she had feared for so long in this world.

"If I accept, you'll let them go back to Earth?" she asked, glancing up at the ducks.

He gave a solemn nod.

"You have my word."

Her hands trembled as she raised them and she started to reach for the circlet, but Malberic drew it back.

"You must say that you will stay with me."

Mira glanced back at the door. Wildwing was still nowhere to be seen. Was this the right choice to make?

"I will stay with you," Mira said, though the words were difficult to speak.

Malberic held out the circlet to her, and he smiled as her hands reached out and clasped it. Suddenly, the gold on it began to contort and change its shape. The metal twisted around and latched onto her wrists. Instead of forming a crown, it became spiraled manacles that bound her wrists together.

"No! Release me!" Mira protested as she tried to free her arms.

Malberic only laughed.

"I'm not going to allow you to change your mind now. The test is over, and of your own free will, you chose to be mine. And so you shall stay with me, but you have put yourself into my power …and so you will be subject to it."

"No!" another voice called out from the hall, and Mira saw Wildwing run into the room. "You can't hold to her this! It was only your lies that led her to accept. Mira, he was going to release the others anyway. It's you he wanted to imprison!"

"What?!" Mira said with wide eyes. "This was all a lie?"

"I told the truth about letting them go," Malberic said, and Mira looked up to see that the portal was expanding. It finally surrounded the other ducks and they disappeared. "I just encouraged you to think that your answer could impact whether or not they'd be released."

Mira looked back at Wildwing.

"But you have to send Wildwing back too."

Malberic raised his hand and black cords suddenly wrapped around Wildwing's arms and wrists.

"No, I don't. You see Wildwing made his own bargain with me. After your failure the other day in the labyrinth, you were facing imprisonment along with all of the other ducks on the terms of our agreement. But Wildwing bought the freedom of his friends by surrendering himself to me. He also tried to buy your freedom, but in this last test, you willing gave it up, so I fear his efforts came to naught."

Malberic laughed and held up a strange green stone.

"Now I have the elfstone he used to thwart my magic during his first days here, and you two are completely subject to my will."

"You owe her a fair test," Wildwing protested, struggling against his restraints. "You must…"

But Malberic raised his hand again and shot a stream of darkness out that engulfed Wildwing. Mira watched helplessly as it seemed to suffocate him, and then when it cleared, she saw that his eyes were completely black just as the other ducks had been when under Malberic's enchantments. Wildwing was now silent and still as if he had no will of his own.

"Fool, you are mine to command," Malberic said. "And in this state you will do my bidding, and you will only wake from it in the lonely hours of the night, just long enough to realize the misery of having lost all that you once had."

Mira felt hot, angry tears slip from her eyes, but she only said,

"Please, don't do this to him. You've won. I'm not going anywhere, just don't hurt him."

Malberic turned back to her with a cold gaze.

"Now that you know he's my prisoner, you think you can choose to stay for him? You wish to comfort him and keep him from being alone? But that's not how things work here. You're here for my pleasure, not his solace."

"You think you can keep me from trying to help him?" Mira said, as her anger entered into her tone of voice.

Malberic grasped her arm, and they were transported to another room in the castle. It appeared to be his throne room, and Malberic thrust her to the floor as he walked to his throne.

"On some days, you will be like a queen beside me," he said. "You will be dressed in beauty, and walk regal and silent at my side. But other days, you will be a slave, one that I will torment and punish as I wish. Always you will be trapped in the role that I choose for you. But never will you and that duck have time to spend together as friends again … lest you plot against me as you did these past six days."

Mira felt rage building within her as she glared up at him. She wanted to tell him that she would never bend to his will, but his dark magic reached out and surrounded her. Mira could feel herself trying to fight against it. But all in her vision turned to darkness.

Epilogue

Duke, Grin, Nosedive, Mallory, and Tanya arrived back on Earth, but they were confused and upset over the loss of Wildwing and Mira. They tried to seek Borg's assistance to find Malberic's realm again in hopes of rescuing their friends, but Borg was not able to help them as Malberic's power was strong enough to keep them out of his realm.

Mira and Wildwing were doomed to remain Malberic's prisoners, and he was not inclined to show them mercy. Perhaps the only mercy they received was that when they had spent months as his prisoners, the memories of their former lives faded. Not remembering their past freedom or friends, they began to forget what they had lost, thinking their lives had always been this way. That was how Malberic converted them into obedient slaves, having to exert less of his magic to keep them in line.

 **This is only one possible ending to this story. And probably not the one you wanted.**

 **You can go back and try for a different ending. I suggest returning to Chapter 38 of Day Five to see if you can reach the cottage with all five of the ducks before Day Six.**


	48. Chapter 48

Chapter 48

Mira's gaze hardened as she stared at the circlet and the cruel tyrant offering it to her.

"You can put it away. I'm not taking that."

Malberic looked back at her with surprise, and his expression darkened with anger.

"Ungrateful mortal, I am offering you everything, and you dare to refuse it!"

"You have nothing I want except my friends and a ticket out of this place," Mira insisted firmly. "Now get out of my way."

She tried to dart for the door, but he blocked her path.

"I will teach you to regret this insolence."

"No," Wildwing said as he appeared in the hall. "She's not yours to torment anymore."

Mira smiled when she caught sight of him, and to her surprise, Malberic stepped aside, letting her go out to Wildwing. Mira hurried to his side.

"I was afraid I'd lost you."

Wildwing seemed a little pained by her words, and Mira felt confused by this as she was just happy to see him again.

"She completed the test," Wildwing said, looking back at Malberic. "Let her go with the rest of my team."

"Very well, the human overcame my test as you said," Malberic conceded. "I will keep our bargain."

Mira looked down at the pendant around her neck, which Malberic had given her on the first day as a reminder of what would happen if she failed. It was lifted from her by magic and it fell into his hand.

"Wait, you mean the bargain we made, right?" she said looking at Malberic. "Why did it sound like you were talking to Wildwing just now?"

"You defeated my last test, and so I cannot keep you as a pet, human, as I intended. No, your freedom is assured, but I shall enjoy imparting one more thing to you before you go. You would not be free to go now if Wildwing had not made a deal with me after what happened the other day in the labyrinth."

Mira felt her relief dying away as she glanced at Wildwing, who listened in silent resignation.

"Have you forgotten your failure so quickly, human?" Malberic asked her. "The rules of our game were that you could only leave with all the ducks if you freed them all from my magic. But you lost all five of the ones you rescued with your feeble attempts to make it through my labyrinth."

"I had the chance to get them back today though," Mira protested.

"That was only because Wildwing made a new deal with me when he saw how you failed his teammates."

"Stop blaming her," Wildwing protested suddenly.

But Malberic raised his hand, and a black cord wrapped around Wildwing's beak and another around his arms.

"It's best you see our conversation for yourself," Malberic said, raising his other hand to Mira, and suddenly she was plunged into a scene as if sinking into a dream.

 _She could see Wildwing and Malberic talking, but all around them was hazy mist._

" _I've found you at last … the missing piece in our game. And now you will pay for the trouble your foolishness has caused."_

 _He stretched out his hand towards Wildwing as an inky darkness spewed forth, but Wildwing clasped something that glowed green in his right hand, and its light fended off Malberic's darkness._

" _I can keep your magic at bay with a little help from a gift my friend, Borg, gave me," Wildwing said. "It's not strong enough to defeat you, but as long as I hold this elfstone, I'm immune to your curse."_

" _What a pity you cannot use its power to help your friends," Malberic said darkly. "Your precious human ally could not save them today either."_

" _I know," Wildwing said grimly. "So maybe we can come to some kind of agreement."_

" _Agreement?" Malberic scoffed. "There is no agreement to be made. Tomorrow the human will be my prisoner along with your feathered companions. And even if you are protected from my enchantments for now, you are still trapped here. And that pathetic stone will not protect you from my trolls should I choose to unleash them upon you."_

" _If that's our fate, then you're right this elfstone is not much good to me," Wildwing said, not sounding concerned._

 _He raised his armored hand and began to squeeze the stone. Mira could not see it well, but she heard a noise like the cracking of glass, and the light began to grow brighter in his hand._

" _Stop!" Malberic said with wide-eyes as he drew back. "Are you mad? Breaking the stone will unleash its power."_

" _Yeah, enough to do some damage to both of us. Though not enough to kill you I suspect," Wildwing said. "But still, you don't want to see what happens if I destroy this stone, do you?"_

 _Malberic's expression made it clear that he did not._

" _Then you're going to make a deal with me."_

" _If you hope to barter your freedom and that of your friends, do not waste your breath. No matter what threats you make, it is not worth losing all of my prisoners for."_

" _What if you can keep me?" Wildwing asked with a sigh. "I will surrender this stone and myself. But you have to return all of the other ducks and Mira to Earth."_

 _Malberic considered that in silence for a moment._

" _Very well, I'll send the other five ducks back," he agreed. "I've had my fun with them."_

" _And Mira," Wildwing insisted._

 _Malberic smiled._

" _But she and I have not finished our game yet. She made a deal with me, and I intend to play it out to the end. I see no reason why I should give up on keeping her as my prisoner as well as you."_

" _What deal?" Wildwing asked. "Isn't she just a prisoner here like my teammates?"_

" _Oh, so you are unaware of our arrangement?" Malberic asked, sounding amused. "She arrived here quite by accident. I was going to let her go as my deal with the Saurians had not included her, but she was such an intriguing creature and very determined to rescue you. So we struck a bargain. If she bested my labyrinth and saved all of you, you could all go home. If she failed my tests, then not only were all of you still my prisoners …but she would become one too."_

 _Wildwing appeared surprised and dismayed._

" _I'm making a new bargain with you now," he finally said. "You'll have to forget about the one you made with Mira. She should be free to go with my teammates."_

" _I'm not interested in breaking the agreement I made with her, but I will alter it," Malberic said. "Instead of automatically dooming her for her failure yesterday, I will give her one more test tomorrow. If she passes it, I will let her go with your friends. But if she doesn't, then she's mine."_

" _That's not good enough," Wildwing protested as he began to exert pressure on the stone in his hand again._

" _Crush it if you dare," Malberic challenged. "At best you will wound me, but it will not be enough to stop me from carrying out my vengeance on all of your friends, including the girl. For then I will have no reason to release them."_

 _Wildwing lowered his hand and relaxed his grip._

" _At least, let me go to her then," he said wearily._

" _Give me the stone," Malberic demanded. "And then our bargain will be struck."_

 _Wildwing looked down at the stone in his hand, and with slow steps, he approached Malberic and relinquished his protection._

" _Enjoy your last hours," Malberic said as he seized the stone. "Once the girl has finished her test, you will never know freedom again."_

When her vision cleared and Mira saw that she was still in the tower, she found that there were tears sliding down her face.

"No, it should be me. Take me instead of Wildwing," she pleaded.

"I would have had you both, but you saw through my last challenge. Now I've had enough of making deals. You and the other ducks will leave. But this one is mine. He evaded my power with his little elfstone, but now he's going to feel the full weight of my power … and my wrath for having cost me the rest of my prisoners."

"No, that was my doing!" Mira protested. "Don't punish Wildwing for my actions."

"Enough, say your farewell, and then you're leaving," Malberic said as he released the cords from Wildwing's beak and arms.

Mira appeared ready to protest again, but Wildwing halted her.

"Take this for me," he said as he handed her the Mask. "Give it to the other ducks, and tell them to continue the fight against Dragaunus. They shouldn't waste time trying to rescue me. And Mira, this wasn't your fault. I'm glad you're going home. I knew you'd pass that last test."

"No, I can't leave you," she said, but he thrust the Mask into her hands and wouldn't take it back.

"Goodbye," Wildwing said sadly.

Mira started to protest again, but a bright light opened up in the middle of the tower, and Mira was lifted with Malberic's magic and thrown towards it. She caught sight of Wildwing being bound again by black cords as he watched her disappear.

Epilogue

Mira arrived back on Earth with Duke, Grin, Nosedive, Mallory, and Tanya. She delivered the Mask and had to explain why Wildwing was not with them. They were determined to find a way to get Wildwing back, and even contacted Borg to seek his help.

But Malberic's power was greater than what Borg could offer them, and as time passed, no solution presented itself as to how they could get back to Wildwing.

 **This is only one possible ending to this story. You can go back and try for a different ending. I suggest returning to Chapter 38 of Day Five to see if you can reach the cottage with all five of the ducks before Day Six.**


	49. Chapter 49

Chapter 49 - Day 6

Sleeping in the cottage, Mira stirred in her bed, and a cold sweat broke out over her skin as she lay submerged in a dream.

 _Instead of reaching out to Wildwing as she normally did in her dreams, this time Mira felt as though she was pulled into one against her will, and she saw Wildwing there, but Malberic was also there. And all she could do was watch as she felt unable to either speak or move._

" _I wanted you to see this," Malberic said, as he looked directly at her. "I've finally caught up with your skulking friend who has foolishly meddled in my affairs."_

 _Wildwing stood still across from her, but she felt as though maybe he could see her too, even though she knew she was dreaming._

" _And now that the final day of my labyrinth is upon us, he is going to surrender himself over to my power, so you can face one last challenge."_

 _Wildwing lifted his right hand and opened it. A small green stone rested in the center of it._

" _Borg gave this to me after our problems with the sorceress," Wildwing explained. "This elfstone had just enough power to help me evade Malberic's magic, but it can't get us out of here."_

" _I explained our bargain to him," Malberic said, looking at Mira again with an amused expression. "He understands now that if he and his friends are to have any chance of returning to Earth, that he has to let us finish our little game."_

 _Malberic held out his hand to Wildwing expectantly._

" _We all owe you for taking this risk, Mira," Wildwing said as he weighed the stone in his hand for a moment longer. "But I wish you had not risked your own freedom for us."_

 _Malberic's expression grew cold with impatience._

" _There's no changing that now. The girl will be mine along with all of you if she fails tomorrow. Give me the stone."_

 _Fear gripped Mira as she watched Wildwing drop the stone into Malberic's hand. The dark elf laughed cruelly as he seized it._

" _Since you've caused so much trouble, I have a special curse in mind for you."_

 _He raised his hand towards Wildwing, who was still wearing the Mask, and as dark magic swept out from Malberic, a dark cloud wrapped itself around Wildwing's face and the Mask. Wildwing tried to step back, but it still enveloped him, and the Mask of Drake Ducaine turned from gold to gray. The eyes shifted from red to black, and suddenly Wildwing stood still._

" _Are you prepared to lose today?" Malberic asked, facing her again. "You won't be able to save your friends this time. Before night falls, they will all be mine again, and your fate will be no different than theirs."_

Mira's eyes shot open as she lay on the bed in the cottage. Sitting up and looking around, she saw that most of the ducks were still sleeping, and the light beyond the window was dim and faint. Breathing heavily, Mira put her hand to her head and tried to steady herself. She would have told herself that it was just a dream, but she knew that wasn't true.

"Uneasy sleep, little friend?" Grin asked from where he sat on the floor near the bed.

"It was a nightmare. Sorry if I woke you."

Grin stood up slowly and sat down in chair closer to her. From the way he was looking at her, he seemed to guess that it wasn't just a dream that had troubled her.

"Wildwing is in danger," she said. "You're all in danger. And if I don't make the right choices today, it's over. We'll lose everything."

Grin listened in silence for a few moments.

"Time passes strangely in this land, and Malberic has stolen my inner peace as he seems to be stealing yours. There is no clarity here," he sighed.

"Wildwing gave me some clarity," Mira said. "I wouldn't have made it this far without his help, but now he's been captured by Malberic. I'm not sure I can do this on my own. And you probably won't be able to help me, no matter how much you want to."

"Our opponent does not offer us a fair chance. Perhaps playing the game by his rules is a mistake."

Mira looked at Grin questioningly.

"I don't have the power to do it any other way."

"Knowledge is power. What do you know about Malberic?"

"Not enough," Mira sighed. "Tanya found some images the other day, but they were pretty vague. I saw some more images on the arches above the passages yesterday. But I didn't have time to stop and think about what they meant."

"You chose the orb," Grin remembered. "Why?"

"Well, the other two were a crown and a tower. I'm not sure what it all means, but Malberic rules this land, I suspect he has both of those things, or at least what they represent in terms of his authority. But the orb, it seemed to be important in another way. The way those hands in the image were reaching for it, I think it could have something to do with power … his power."

Grin didn't answer, but at that moment, Mallory stirred and rose from the chair where she had slept. Tanya woke up in the bed, and Duke stretched and stood up from a chair. They only had to wake up Nosedive from where he slept in a chair with his head against the wall.

Mira said no more to Grin as they all ate something and started out for the day, and she was quiet as they walked into the labyrinth. The other ducks were talkative enough, but Duke moved to Mira's side as they walked and the others became distracted with their own conversation.

"I head what you and Grin were talking about back there. Malberic may not let you gain any other important clues in here. Maybe you need one of us to slip away, and see if we can find anything while you work on this last challenge."

Mira shook her head.

"No, Duke. If you leave me, he'll only put you back under a curse. I'm certain of it. Please, promise you'll stay with me."

Duke studied the look in her eyes.

"All right, sweetheart. I won't go anywhere."

Mira smiled and tentatively clasped Duke's hand gratefully. She meant to let go almost immediately, but he grasped her hand and held it there for a few moments.

"It's going to be all right, kid. I only wish there was I more I could do to help."

"You are helping," she assured him. "Again, just stay with me."

Duke nodded, and they walked on through the labyrinth. The black walls were bare of any clear markings, though Mira kept looking as if hoping for any kind of clue that could give her an edge.

As they continued to walk through the labyrinth, Mira could feel time slipping away from them, and she began to worry about running out of time on this last day … with probably the hardest test left to face. But at last they reached the characteristic wide space inside the labyrinth where a challenge or test waited.

This one was indeed different than the ones she had seen before. A grove of trees shaded the ground inside the walls, and a massive tower rose up above their branches.

"There was a tower on one of the archways the other day, but I don't understand what this means," Mira said, staring up at it.

"Maybe Wing is here," Nosedive said, eagerly looking for his brother.

"Yes, I guess he will be," Mira said, remembering her dream and how Wildwing would now be under some kind of enchantment.

They started forward, and Mira kept close to Duke as they walked between the trees. Approaching the tower, Mira began to feel more and more that something was wrong … not just that Wildwing would be cursed, but that there was some danger here for the other ducks. The air was so quiet and still in this grove. Nothing felt natural.

"Maybe you guys should stay here," Mira said, stopping suddenly before they reached the tower.

"You said you wanted us to stay with you," Duke said.

"I do. I want you to stay within sight, but just let me scout ahead a little."

The ducks nodded, and she hesitantly stepped away, while continually looking back to make sure she didn't lose them. As she approached the tower, the cluster of trees became tighter, and Mira was only able to see Wildwing when she was within a few yards of the massive stone structure.

Glancing back, she could still see the other ducks in the distance. Looking ahead, Wildwing was standing with his back towards her.

"Wing?" Mira called softly as she stepped closer.

He didn't turn, and when Mira walked around to one side of him, she suddenly halted.

Standing in front of Wildwing was a human, and the sight of her was so jarring that Mira let out a small gasp. _She looks just like me!_

The imitation gazed up at Wildwing with a smug grin.

"Wildwing, that's not me!" Mira said, trying to get his attention as she walked closer, but the gray Mask with its black eyes stared silently at Mira's doppelganger.

The imposter just moved closer to Wildwing, and though it didn't speak, it seemed to have complete control of him as his gaze followed it.

"Guess there's one way I could try to deal with this," Mira said, drawing in a deep breath and standing taller as she clenched one fist and strode towards the cheap imitation. Reaching out with her left hand, she had intended to seize its arm and then throw a punch. But as her hand stretched out to grab it, her fingers and palm passed through it. Mira felt nothing but air.

The imposter turned towards her with a confident expression, and Mira realized that it was just an illusion. She could no more hurt or destroy it than she could the wind.

After a moment though it walked on, but not before holding up its hand to Wildwing, motioning for him to stay. He froze in place as if under some kind of command, and Mira tried to wave her hands in front of him.

"Wing, please! Can you even hear me?" Mira asked as she watched his face. Nothing seemed to have any impact on Wildwing. Then she got an idea. Maybe if she removed the Mask, things would be different. Reaching up, Mira tried to pull the Mask from his face. Wildwing didn't even seem to feel her tugging at the Mask, and it wouldn't budge. It felt as secure as if it was glued to his head. _How am I supposed to wake him up?_

Mira looked around for her double, but then she realized that she had let it slip away …and the other ducks were not far away. Would it be able to deceive them too?

Turning from Wildwing and running back to the others, Mira saw with some relief that they still appeared to be standing free of Malberic's enchantment.

"Did you see Wildwing?" Mallory asked.

"Yes, and I'm not sure how to help him just yet, but I wanted to make sure you were okay."

"You don't have to worry about us so much, sweetheart," Duke assured her.

But then Mira did a count and realized she was only speaking to four ducks.

"Where's Nosedive?"

The others looked around.

"He was just here!" Tanya said surprised.

Mira considered going to look for him, but she felt she knew what had happened.

"Come on," she said, taking Duke's hand and leading them back through the trees.

"Wait, what about Wildwing?"

Mira didn't answer at first.

"We should look for Nosedive," Mallory said.

"I'll look for him. You all need to keep your eyes to the ground and get out of these trees."

Mira glanced back and now Grin was gone too. She looked for him, but the huge duck had slipped away without being heard or seen. The trees felt more numerous and disorienting than they had before.

"What's happening?" Mallory asked as she also realized Grin was gone.

"Malberic's using some kind of spell to deceive you. There's an imposter here who looks like me," Mira explained.

Duke released her hand, and he suddenly seemed wary.

"I'm the real, Mira," she insisted. "Last year after we faced that sorceress, you guys let me stay at the Pond for a while, and we went out for pizza at Rollo's every Friday. Convinced?"

"Sorry," Duke apologized. "Just wanted to make sure we weren't being led away from where we needed to be."

Mira turned around searched for the exit back into the labyrinth that would take them out of these trees, but the trees were so dense, she couldn't even see the labyrinth any more.

"I just want to keep you all safe," Mira said. "That exit has got to be over here somewhere."

But as she stopped to search for it after walking a bit farther, Mira looked back at the ducks. Tanya and Mallory were looking off into the trees. They had seen the fake Mira, and their eyes were already turning black with the spell.

"Duke, just keep looking at me," Mira pleaded.

"I will, kid. But what happened to Tanya and Mallory?"

Mira watched as the two female ducks started to wander off after the illusion.

"They've fallen under the enchantment. It just takes one sideways glance."

"I'm still here, kid. But we have to help the others."

"Yeah, and I guess I can't get you out of here," Mira said as she resigned herself to not being able to escape out of this forest. "But maybe something like this would help."

Drawing a handkerchief out of her pack, she held it out and motioned for him to take it and bind it over his good eye and his patch. Duke complied and then taking his hand, she led him back towards the tower.

"You all right?" she asked.

"Yeah, no problem, sweetheart."

As they reached the trees at the base of the tower, Mira saw all of the other ducks standing around like statues. Their eyes were all dark, and they weren't speaking.

"Do you see the others?" Duke asked.

"Yes, but keep the blindfold on."

"What about your double?"

Mira searched the area, but she didn't see her evil twin anywhere.

"I doubt she's far," Mira said warily, fearing that it was just waiting for a chance to catch Duke.

As she continued to search for a solution to their situation, Mira turned and saw Malberic emerge out from between a pair of trees.

"An admirable attempt, but you're losing this game, one to five."

"Mira, is that him?" Duke asked angrily.

"Don't remove the blindfold, Duke," she insisted. "I can handle this."

"Do you really believe one pitiful rag is going to stop me?" Malberic said scornfully as he surveyed Duke and the blindfold.

Mira heard a strange creaking sound, and Duke called out as he was pulled to the ground. The roots of the nearest tree had risen from the ground and wrapped themselves around Duke's legs. Mira turned to help him, but a huge tree branch fell in her path from the tree above her.

In the midst of his struggle to free himself, Duke's blindfold had slipped from his eyes, and just as Mira darted around the branch towards him, her double appeared crouching over him. Mira watched helplessly as darkness filled Duke's good eye, and he fell back into enchantment just like the others.

"No!" Mira called out as she tried to grab his arm.

But he pulled away from her and stood up as the tree roots slipped from his legs. Then Duke began to follow the illusion back towards the tower.

"Once she has guided them all inside the tower and sealed their fates as prisoners, the game will be over, and you will lose," Malberic announced to Mira.

"I'm not giving up yet," Mira protested. "But none of this has been fair. You're a cheat, Malberic."

A glint of anger appeared in his eyes, but otherwise he appeared calm. And he drew out a box which he opened and held out to her.

"I will overlook such rash words to offer you one last gift."

The box opened to reveal a golden crown.

"You've been a worthy opponent, my dear. Why not accept my favor while you still have it?"

Mira looked down at the crown with surprise, which quickly changed into scorn. But then another thought occurred to her. _The tower. The crown. Where's the orb?_

Turning around, Mira cast one more searching gaze over the forest. On the other side of the tower, she suddenly realized that a strange blue light was seeping out from the trees. It didn't appear anywhere else but in this one direction.

She begun to run in that direction, and as she weaved around the trees, she finally came to one that was almost bursting with blue light shining from its trunk. Raising her hands to the bark, Mira thought it would be hopeless to try to get inside the tree without an ax, but to her surprise, the bark began to crumble until a hole filled with blue light was visible.

Reaching inside, she felt her hands touch a warm, smooth object, and drawing it out, she held an orb of the most brilliant blue light. Malberic appeared beside her with a surprised expression.

"This magic does not serve you," he protested. "It is mine!"

But even as he spoke, Mira was being drawn into a dream-like scene where she saw this strange world appear very differently than it did now. Many visions and images appeared in her mind, and when she awoke, she turned and stared at Malberic.

"You're not a dark elf," she announced. "You were just a mortal conjurer, cast out from your own world."

"I am the most powerful of all the dark elves of this world," Malberic insisted angrily.

"This was their world. And it was full of life and many of their people. The orb showed me, and I saw that you came to them as a stranger. You promised to teach them magic … and they agreed to let you learn the secrets of their immortality. But your bargain was a lie. You taught them cheap tricks with magic, and then you used your real power to steal their immortality. But to do that, you had to drain them, seize their lives, so you could live thousands of years without facing death. And this orb is where you imprisoned their energy. They wanted to me find it."

"You speak of what you do not understand," Malberic said coldly. "The fools who lived in this world before me wasted the gift of immortality. It is far better that I possess such things."

"So you can subject others to your twisted games?" Mira scoffed. "No, you don't deserve this."

She held tightly to the orb, and Malberic seemed ill at ease to see it in her grasp.

"Without possessing some magic yourself, you cannot wield it. I did not expect you to find this orb, but it matters not. It cannot help you."

Mira looked down at it, and she knew that at least in one sense he was right. It wasn't making her any more powerful or magical.

"Hand over the orb, and you can have this," Malberic said, holding up the crown. "You know you don't stand a chance against me, so don't stir up my wrath against you with your obstinacy over a worthless object."

 **If Mira should hold onto the orb, select Chapter 50.**

 **If Mira should give the orb to Malberic, select Chapter 51.**


	50. Chapter 50

Chapter 50

"Worthless?" Mira said, repeating the word Malberic had used. "If it's so worthless, you wouldn't want it back."

As she took a step back from him to make sure he didn't try to snatch it from her hands, Mira felt her leg bump into something solid behind her. Glancing back, she some of the large stones, like those built into the tower, rested at the base of the tree.

"The orb is worthless to you," Malberic insisted. "Return it, or face the consequences."

"No, release my friends, or the consequences will be yours to face," Mira said sternly. "The vision showed me that this orb is like the battery that keeps your immortality charged. You certainly would not want to lose it, would you?"

"How dare you threaten me, insignificant mortal!"

He stretched out his hand to the tree behind her, but as one of the branches started to stretch towards her, it crumbled and began falling apart. The orb glowed brighter in her hand.

"You can't use magic to take it from me," Mira said aloud as she realized the restriction. "This orb is your source of magic. You can't use one thing against itself."

She moved behind the rocks and held the orb over them.

"Release my friends, or I'll smash it."

Malberic could not disguise the fear that such a possibility held for him.

"So be it. The ducks shall be free."

He waved his hand at the figures standing on the other side of the tower, and Mira saw the illusion of herself dissipate. The ducks began to move and put their hands to their heads. When they caught sight of Mira and Malberic, they hurried over.

"Don't get too close," Mira said. "I still don't trust him."

"We're awake. Mira, you did it," Wildwing said, sounding relieved as he looked at his teammates.

"Yeah, but we're not back in Anaheim yet," Nosedive said.

Malberic had never taken his eyes from watching Mira, and now he spoke again.

"Give me the orb, and I will send you back."

"No way am I handing this over to you that easily," Mira said quickly. "You've cheated before. Once I give this up, what's to stop you from taking revenge?"

Malberic glared at her.

"So we woke up to a stand-off," Mallory said.

"What do you want to do, kid?" Duke asked.

Mira looked from the ducks to the orb and then back at Malberic.

 **It's time to make one last choice. Mira refuses to give the orb back to Malberic, so she can either destroy the orb on the rocks or try to use it to barter passage back to Earth. Which choice should she make?**

 **Destroy the orb, select Chapter 52.**

 **Barter passage, select Chapter 53.**


	51. Chapter 51

Chapter 51

Mira hated to give up the orb in her hands, but what could she do with it? Malberic still held her friends captive.

"I will trade the orb," Mira said hesitantly. "For your goodwill to me and my friends."

"As a sign of that, you can have this," Malberic said, holding out the crown.

Slowly raising her hands, Mira held out the orb to him, and her fingers grasped the crown as he picked up the orb out of her grasp. But once the orb was in his hands, the brightness of the blue light appeared to grow dull and darken, though he appeared stronger and more vibrant.

The crown in Mira's hands changed shape and became manacles on her wrists. She gasped and tried to pull them off, but the pendant around her neck, displaying what would happen should she fail the challenge, grew heavy and began to glow.

Malberic ripped the pendant from his own neck that contained an image of her and the ducks' freedom.

"You have lost your chance at this, and now you are mine along with all your friends. The game is won!"

"No! What of your promise?" Mira asked.

"You are just as trusting as the dark elves. They believed I would grant them a gift, and look," he said holding up the orb. "This is all that is left of them. Their power is mine."

He laughed.

"You were always doomed to lose this game."

Mira suddenly felt too weak to resist as a darkness passed over her vision.

 **This is only one possible ending to this story.**

 **To find a different ending, go back to Chapter 49.**

 **In this ending, no one was able to return to Earth. Mira and all of the ducks remained Malberic's prisoners, and as he had betrayed the dark elves, he betrayed Mira with the promise of a trade. In the end, he gave her nothing and sought to keep everything for himself.**


	52. Chapter 52

Chapter 52

"Even if I try to use it to persuade you to send us back, I can't ever trust you enough to return it," Mira said as she looked from Malberic to the orb. "There's only one way to keep you from ever doing this to us …or to anyone else ever again."

"No!" Malberic shouted as Mira thrust the orb down upon the stones with all of her strength.

Although the orb did not smash, cracks splintered up its sides until power began to burst forth from within, and finally, the orb shattered as power exploded from it. Mira was thrown to the ground, but in the brightness of the light, she saw Malberic reaching for the power as it escaped.

Suddenly his hands began to wither and decay. His proud face sagged with wrinkles, and his dark hair turned gray and then white.

"My immortality…" he groaned as he cast a chilling glare upon Mira.

She watched him with horror, yet without pity.

"It wasn't yours to keep."

He began to reach for her as he collapsed on the ground, but his body began turning to dust in an instant, and soon there was nothing left of him.

The grove of trees vanished. The labyrinth was gone. Mira noticed that the tower remained, but it was just part of a ruin now of the ancient city of the dark elves.

A part of the blue light returned in the shape of an elf, and it bowed its head to Mira. She nodded back, understanding that the dark elves could be at peace now that Malberic no longer held their life force in his keeping. It vanished, and Mira was left alone with the ducks.

"Can you explain what just happened?" Tanya asked, helping Mira up.

"It's a long story, but Malberic's gone forever now."

"What about our ride back to Anaheim?" Nosedive asked.

Mira dropped her gaze.

"Sorry guys. I'm not sure how to manage that. But Malberic had to be stopped. We were never going to be able to trust him."

The ducks appeared dismayed as they looked as the barren landscape around them.

"So we're stranded here?" Mallory said.

Wildwing walked over to where Malberic had stood, and he stooped and picked up something.

"Not necessarily," he said, raising a green jewel. "Now I have Borg's gift back."

"It can open a portal?" Mira asked.

"No," Wildwing said. "But I think I can use it to contact Borg now that Malberic is gone."

He closed his hand around the jewel and shut his eyes as he focused. For several minutes, they all waited in silence.

Then a bright light shone upon the dreary land again, and Borg jumped out of the light.

"Greetings, my friends!" Borg said as he landed onto the ground beside them.

"Borg, dude, you came!" Nosedive said excitedly.

"Yes, I heard Wildwing's call. Is it true? The evil fiend, Malberic, is vanquished?"

"Mira took down another magical villain," Duke said with a smile.

Mira blushed.

"Well done, brave maiden!" Borg said clasping her hand. "The tyrant stole many poor souls from other worlds. My magic was not strong enough to take him on."

"Yes, but can you help us get back to Earth?" Mira asked eagerly.

"Of course, now that he no longer has bound this world with this sorcery, it is no longer a prison. My magic can operate freely here."

Borg opened up a portal in the air, and they all took hands and passed through it. The light faded, and they were back on the streets of Anaheim. Mira took in a deep breath.

"I was so afraid I'd never see it again."

"You came through for us, sweetheart," Duke said gratefully. "Thank you."

"Not only that," Wildwing said. "But do they know what you did to save us?"

Mira felt her face grow warm again, and she didn't answer.

"What do you mean, bro?" Nosedive asked.

"Mira could have come back to Earth when we were taken as Malberic's prisoners. He was willing to let her go, but she stayed and risked her freedom to save us."

"A noble deed," Grin said as he put his hand on her shoulder.

The other ducks thanked her, but Mira waved them off.

"I just did what I needed to. You don't have to make such a big deal out of it."

"There should be a feast in your honor!" Borg said. "I will go back and tell the tale of your quest to my people!"

"Wait, I just remembered that Malberic said Dragaunus made the deal with him for your imprisonment. Malberic said he gave him some kind of weapon."

"That is something we'll have to deal with," Wildwing sighed.

Borg stepped in to ease their fears.

"Whatever Malberic has given your enemies will be weakened now that he is dead. I doubt your enemies will find it of much use."

Wildwing opened his com and saw that there were signs of teleportation energy downtown.

"Great, no rest for the weary," Mallory said when she observed it on her own com.

"Hey, Borg, you up for this?" Nosedive asked.

"I am sorry, my friends. I must bid you farewell and return to my own realm. But good fortune go with you!"

He disappeared in a flash of magic, and the ducks began walking back to the Pond to get the Migrator.

"So now that I have helped defeat a sorceress and whatever Malberic was, some kind of sorcerer, I guess, can I be a bit more involved with saving the world in Anaheim?" Mira asked.

"I guess we could give you some training," Wildwing said.

"Facing Dragaunus is dangerous. You do understand that?" Mallory warned.

"Hey, she's been in danger a lot lately," Duke protested. "It's not like we've really spared her that."

"Yeah, but magical danger is not quite the same as getting shot with a blaster, right?" Tanya said.

"We don't have to jump right to the line of fire part," Mira said with a nervous laugh. "I just want to tag-along, maybe watch from the Migrator. Maybe drive a duck cycle?"

"We'll see," Wildwing said with a grin.

"Learn to use a sabre," Mira said, glancing at Duke, as she continued her list.

"Uh, I guess," Duke said hesitantly.

"Take a glider out for a night," Mira persisted.

"Whoa, I don't think…" Mallory started to say.

"Fire a puck cannon in target practice."

"One step at a time," Tanya protested.

Mira laughed.

"Just seeing how far I can push this line. That's all guys."

"You're right that we should let you come off the bench," Wildwing said. "But as to what that means, we'll see."

 **Congratulations! You defeated Malberic and his labyrinth! Mira and the ducks have safely returned to Anaheim.**

 **I'm curious to know which ending you like better, Chapter 52 or Chapter 53? You could vote and let me know by leaving a comment!**

 **Comments are always important to me even if you're not voting on an ending. It encourages me to write more if I hear from you.**

 **If you haven't read my prequel to this story, it's titled Danger Comes at Twilight, and it's also a story with choices.**

 **One last note, if you didn't get to read the other version of Day Six in Chapters 46-48, you could go back and check that out if you want.**


	53. Chapter 53

Chapter 53

Mira faced Malberic with a gaze of determination as she held onto the orb.

"Open a portal to Anaheim on Earth. Once the ducks are through it, then we'll talk about this."

"No. Timeout," Wildwing interjected. "Mira that could leave you stranded."

"Yeah, holdin' the puck and no one to pass it to," Nosedive added.

"If I destroy his power, there's no way for us to get back to Earth," Mira said. "This way, maybe you can at least return …and I'll do what I can."

"Just in case you should be thinking of trying to escape with my orb," Malberic cut in. "Then know that it cannot leave this world. This is where its power lies. It must remain here."

He stretched out his hand to his left and a bright portal opened up in the air. Mira recognized the view of Anaheim within it.

"Go on, Wildwing," Mira urged. "My planet needs you and your team to defeat Dragaunus."

"We can't leave you behind," Tanya said.

But Wildwing had grown quiet, and then he said,

"Come on, team. Mira's right. We have to go back."

There were protests, but Wildwing silenced them and moved his teammates to the portal.

Mira glanced at the ducks passing through the portal, but as she turned her gaze, Malberic darted forward and seized her arms, trying to wrestle the orb from her hands.

But they were both knocked over as another force struck Malberic's side, and Mira saw Duke whisk the orb from her hands and pull her back from Malberic. He drew her back as Malberic rose to his feet.

"You didn't bother to count how many ducks went into the portal," Duke scoffed. "Too busy planning on how you were going to get your power back, eh?"

"You will return it to me," Malberic said confidently. "If you try to destroy it, the portal will close."

Duke held tightly to the orb.

"And when you get it back, then what happens? You come after us again …or prevent us from leaving, I'd imagine."

Malberic didn't answer, but there was a malicious gleam in his eyes that led Mira to believe Duke's guesses were right.

"You don't have a choice," Malberic insisted.

"Yeah, I do," Duke said.

And with sudden force and swiftness, he threw the orb at the side of the tower where it shattered, spilling blue light out into the air.

"No!" Malberic cried out, but the blue light streamed out away from them, and the portal to Earth disappeared.

Malberic crumpled as if struck with several blows. Mira and Duke both backed away from him as his body began to decay and wither before their eyes. No longer protected by immortality, time was taking its revenge upon him.

Mira finally averted her eyes as she clung to Duke's arm, but when she opened them again, only dust remained where Malberic had fallen.

Duke and Mira looked around to see that the trees were gone and so was any sign of the labyrinth. They were alone on a barren planet with only ruins of the previous dark elves who had lived here. The tower appeared to be one such part of the ruins as it remained after Malberic was gone.

"Duke, why didn't you go with the others?" Mira asked.

"You asked me to stay, remember?"

Mira sighed and shook her head. She didn't want him to be trapped here, though she was glad to not be alone.

"Wildwing saw me slip away from the others. He would have never led the rest of the team back to Anaheim if it meant leaving you here alone."

"Yeah, but you should be with the other ducks."

"Hey, it's gonna be okay, sweetheart. And can I at least get a 'thank you' instead of a lecture?"

Mira smiled.

"Thank you …for not leaving me behind."

Duke nodded and glanced up at the tower beside them.

"Maybe we should see what's inside."

Mira surveyed it doubtfully.

"Probably nothing good. Malberic was going to imprison you all in there."

"Yeah, but that was when it was his tower. He's not here now."

Duke led her around to the side with the door, and after some effort, the door gave way and fell in before them. Mira followed Duke inside and saw stone steps winding up to the top of the tower.

"Come on, let's get higher and see what else is here," Duke said.

Mira climbed up the steps behind him, but it wasn't an easy task as many of them were in poor shape, and some had crumbled leaving gaps.

When they reached the top, Duke drew out his sabre and cut open the trap door above them. Then he helped Mira up through it, and he climbed up after her.

Mira walked to the battlements of the tower and looked out. Never had she seen a sight that looked more forlorn and empty.

"Not very encouraging when you think we have to spend the rest of our lives here," Mira sighed as Duke joined her.

"It definitely needs work," Duke admitted. "But you know maybe with some landscapin' and some sunlight, it could have potential."

"How are you not more upset about this?" Mira asked in surprise. "I mean, I'm glad you're here, but we're trapped. We don't even know if there's food or clean water on this planet."

A strange noise began to whirl over them, and Mira shaded her eyes as a bright light shone down them. She looked at Duke and saw him smiling as he held up his wrist com which was flashing.

"I didn't want to say anything and risk getting your hopes up if it didn't work, but after we've had a few issues with losing teammates in other dimensions, Tanya upgraded our coms' signals. She built a device that could open portals based on our com locations."

"You came up here to give your com a better signal," Mira realized in surprise.

Duke fired his grappling hook into the portal that opened above them. It caught and the line was tight. Then he put his arm around Mira, and they leapt up towards the portal.

It felt like the world flipped upside down as they passed through the portal and landed on the parking lot in front of the Pond on the other side. Mira stumbled and nearly collapsed as she felt dizzy and a little nauseous, but Duke steadied her, and she saw the other ducks running up to them with a strange machine parked behind them.

"You guys okay?" Wildwing asked.

"I think so, but give my stomach a chance to settle first," Duke said.

"Well, at least we know the dimensional transporter works," Tanya said with a pleased expression.

"What happened with the orb and Malberic?" Mallory asked.

"He's gone," Duke said.

"Are you certain?" Wildwing asked looking at both of them.

"Yes, Duke destroyed the orb. He won't be coming back."

Duke smiled, and said, "Mira thought we were gonna have to stay there forever."

Feeling a bit more recovered from their trans-dimensional jump, Mira punched his arm.

"You didn't tell me you had a way home."

"Hey, I had my reasons," Duke insisted, but he was still smiling. "Aren't you glad I stayed though?"

Mira stood with her arms crossed for a moment, but then she unfolded them and hugged him.

"You're forgiven."

"You humans," Duke sighed. "You're always dealing with two feelings at once. But thanks, kid."

"Speaking of humans," Grin said as he directed their attention to a police car driving up to the Pond.

"Well, this will be fun," Wildwing said, glancing back at Tanya's new invention as Captain Klegghorn stepped out of the car.

"What do you ducks think you're doing?!" Klegghorn snapped. "Half the city's lights just went out, and I saw a bright flash just over your headquarters!"

"It's good to see you too, Cappie," Nosedive said. "We just got back from another dimension."

"Using that, I suppose," Klegghorn said gesturing to the machine behind them. "Do you have a permit for whatever that is?"

Mira smiled as she left Duke's side and walked forward.

"Believe it or not, it's my fault, Captain. I was trapped in another dimension, and the ducks were just rescuing me … you know just one of Anaheim's good citizens in danger from evil aliens. Normal stuff."

Klegghorn scowled, but at last he said,

"I'd better not see that thing go off again. Now get it off my streets. Oh, and since you're already on evil alien duty, those lizards have started some trouble downtown."

The ducks groaned.

"Aw, man, I need a nap and some food," Nosedive said.

"Hey, remind me why I let you stay in my city if you're not going to deal with these lizards?" Klegghorn asked.

"We're on it, Klegghorn," Wildwing assured him.

"Good," the captain said, though he smiled. "That manager of yours will be glad you're back. He's been sending frantic phone calls to my office all this week."

He got back in his car and drove off as Grin helped Tanya get her new invention back inside. And the other ducks started in to get the Migrator.

"Can I come?" Mira asked as she walked with them. "I know dealing with Dragaunus is your thing, but…"

Duke glanced at Wildwing, who nodded.

"Yeah, you can come," Duke said. "We might need your help, sweetheart."

 **Congratulations! You defeated Malberic and his labyrinth! Mira and the ducks have safely returned to Anaheim.**

 **I'm curious to know which ending you like better, Chapter 52 or Chapter 53? You could vote and let me know by leaving a comment!**

 **Comments are always important to me even if you're not voting on an ending. It encourages me to write more if I hear from you.**

 **If you haven't read my prequel to this story, it's titled Danger Comes at Twilight, and it's also a story with choices.**

 **One last note, if you didn't get to read the other version of Day Six in Chapters 46-48, you could go back and check that out if you want.**


End file.
